Inter Miami announces coaching staff. Team reportedly to sign Scottish player.
Inter Miami’s newly hired head coach Diego Alonso will have an assistant coaching staff with international experience as well as expertise across all levels of U.S. soccer — Major League Soccer, United Soccer League and the U.S. Soccer development academy.
Four of the coaches followed him from the Mexican league, where they coached together and won CONCACAF Champions League titles at Pachuca and Monterrey.
The club announced Alonso’s assistants on Monday, a week ahead of the opening of training camp. The staff includes Claudio Arzeno (assistant coach), Mauricio Marchetti (assistant coach, fitness coach), Gustavo Metral (sports scientist), Anthony Pulis (assistant coach), Albert Rudé (assistant coach), Sebastián Saja (goalkeeper coach) and Brett Uttley (assistant coach, video analyst).
“We’re thrilled to combine a championship-winning and experienced coaching staff that aligns with the club’s ambitions and culture to support Diego’s team,” said Inter Miami sporting director Paul McDonough. “We’re confident their previous national and international success will transition to Inter Miami and lead the club to become one of the best in the Americas. We’re looking forward to the great things we’ll achieve together.”
Arzeno worked alongside Alonso in Mexico with Pachuca and Monterrey. The former player began his career with first division club Atlético Independiente in his native Argentina, where he won one Recopa Sudamericana and two Supercopas Sudamericanas, before making a move to Spain where he made more than 100 appearances.
Marchetti, like Alonso a native of Uruguay, and Metral also had the same positions at Pachuca and Monterrey and will follow Alonso to Miami.
Rudé, a Spaniard, also served as an assistant coach for Alonso at Pachuca from 2015 to 2018 and later joined him at Monterrey in 2019. He also was the Department of Sports Intelligence and Performance Analysis Coordinator at Rayados.
Pulis, the son of long-time English Premier League manager Anthony “Tony” Pulis, was most recently the head coach of Saint Louis FC in the USL Championship for over two years. He knows Inter Miami owner David Beckham and played several years in England before moving to Orlando City to close his career.
Goalkeeper coach Saja was promoted from the Inter Miami CF Academy where he was the goalkeeper coordinator and coach. The Argentine played for several different teams before retiring in 2017, spending the most time with Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro and Racing Club in Argentina’s first division. He also made four appearances with the Argentine national team.
Video analyst Uttley was most recently the first assistant coach for Rio Grande Valley FC, the second team of the Houston Dynamo playing in the USL Championship.
The schedule and sites for Inter Miami preseason training camp are expected to be announced in the next few days. The club is also working to fill the roster, negotiating contracts for a few international players and higher-priced “Designated Players.”
Reports from Scotland say that Inter Miami has agreed to terms with 23-year-old Celtic winger Lewis Morgan for a $389,000 transfer. Morgan spent the past few seasons on loan with St. Mirren and Sunderland. He played 18 games for Celtic this season and scored twice in Europa League games.
Manchester City star David Silva has been linked to Inter Miami for several months, with reports saying the four-time Premier League champion would likely join the team when his contract expires in June. The 34-year-old Spaniard has played 400 games for Man City. Two other EPL stars – Steve Gerrard and Wayne Rooney – joined MLS teams in mid-season in recent years.
Inter Miami plays its first game on the road Mar. 1 at Los Angeles FC. Its home opener is Mar. 14 against L.A. Galaxy.
This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 4:00 PM.