Inter Miami roster hits 21 after signing of this Panamanian national team star
It was a busy weekend for Inter Miami with the signing of two players and news leaking that former Uruguayan player and Mexican league coach Diego Alonso will be named head coach on Monday.
On Sunday afternoon, the team announced it had signed Panamanian national team captain Roman Torres, who won two Major League Soccer championships with the Seattle Sounders.
The 33-year-old center back was acquired as a free agent after five seasons with Seattle.
“Roman is an established leader whose quality, winning mentality and experience has led him to win multiple MLS titles, become the captain that qualified Panama to their first-ever World Cup and earn numerous individual recognitions,” said Inter Miami sporting director Paul McDonough. “He will solidify our backline and add leadership to Inter Miami ahead of the historic inaugural season.”
In his time in Seattle, Torres played a key role in the Sounders’ success, leading them to the 2016 and 2019 MLS cup titles and the 2017 MLS Western Conference championship. He started in the Sounders’ three MLS Cup finals and scored the championship-winning penalty in the 2016 MLS Cup.
Torres appeared in 83 games - including 14 playoff matches and three Concacaf Champions League games.
Torres has been the Panamanian national team captain for the past five years. Under his leadership, Panama qualified for its first-ever World Cup appearance. He scored the 88th minute winning goal against Costa Rica in the last qualifying game on Oct. 10, 2017. Torres played every minute of Panama’s World Cup appearance.
He also appeared in seven Gold Cups and was named to the Concacaf Best XI, as one of the best players in the region, in 2015 and 2017.
Prior to joining Seattle, Torres spent three years (2012-2015) with Colombian club Millonarios, and played in four Copa Libertadores games and nine Copa Sudamericana matches.
On Saturday Inter Miami announced the acquisition of Colombian-American forward Juan Agudelo, who spent the past six years with the New England Revolution and has played 28 matches for the U.S. national team.
Last week, the team signed Haitian youth national defender Denso Ulysse and goalkeeper Drake Callender, a homegrown player from the San Jose Earthquakes. In total, 21 players have been signed. MLS teams can carry up to 30 players on the roster.
Inter Miami has two designated player spots yet to fill, and that is expected to happen shortly after the new year during the European transfer window. David Silva of Manchester City has reportedly been in talks with Miami.
Alonso is expected to be named head coach on Monday, according to multiple league sources. The 44-year-old Uruguayan coached in Mexico’s Liga MX the past five seasons – this past season with Monterrey and the previous four with Pachuca. He led both teams to CONCACAF Champions League titles.
Inter Miami training camp begins the third week of January, and the opening game is on the road March 1 at Los Angeles FC. The home opener is March 14 against the Los Angeles Galaxy.