These two Major League Soccer players were traded to Inter Miami, roster now at eight
Inter Miami got two more players through trades for its inaugural roster — center back Grant Lillard from the Chicago Fire and midfielder Jay Chapman from Toronto FC.
With those two signings, Inter Miami has eight players on the roster. The club also acquired the rights to goalkeeper Drake Callender from the San Jose Earthquakes, though he has not signed yet.
As many as five more Major League Soccer players will join the roster through Tuesday’s Expansion Draft. Inter Miami has the first pick, Nashville has the second pick, and they alternate until each has made five choices.
The rest of the 30-player roster will be filled out over the next month or two, including the signing of two high-profile “Designated Players” whose salaries are allowed to exceed the team cap. David Silva of Manchester City and Edinson Cavani of Paris Saint Germain are among the names who have been linked to Miami. The latest player rumored to be interested in David Beckham’s new team is Javier Mascherano, the 35-year-old Argentine star who went from Barcelona to the Chinese league last year.
Inter Miami sporting director Paul McDonough said Wednesday that he hopes to have the Designated Players and a coach hired before the end of the year. He said they are in negotiations. In the meantime, he is loading up his roster with young, promising talent, just as he did when he built Atlanta United.
Training camp begins in mid-late January and the home opener will be Mar. 14 at 2:30 p.m. against the Los Angeles Galaxy at Inter Miami’s yet-to-be-named new 19,000-seat stadium in Fort Lauderdale, under construction at the former Lockhart Stadium site.
A bit about the new players: Lillard, 23, was acquired in exchange for $75,000 in General Allocation Money. He signed a Homegrown Player contract with the Fire in January 2018 and made 14 appearances for the team. Before that, he was an All-American at Indiana University.
“Grant is a promising young defender,” said McDonough. “We are in the midst of building our team and adding key pieces to complement our supplemental roster.”
Chapman was acquired in exchange for $100,000 in General Allocation Money. He played for the Canadian youth and senior national teams, and was an All-American at Michigan State University. He played 88 games for Toronto FC, had six goals and five assists.
“With Jay we are bringing on a versatile attacking midfielder with good experience in the league and at the international levels,” said McDonough.
Others on the Miami roster include: forward Julian Carranza and midfielder Matias Pellegrini of Argentina, defender Christian Makoun of Venezuela, midfielder Victor Ulloa, midfielder George Acosta, and Canadian midfielder David Norman Jr.