Inter Miami names its USL team and courts a Mexican national team midfielder
Inter Miami’s minor league team will have the same Rosa Negra (pink and black) color scheme as the first team and a similar crest, but it will have a Fort Lauderdale identity.
The club announced Saturday that its United Soccer League team will be called Ft. Lauderdale CF and will kick off its inaugural season at home on March 27 against Union Omaha at the newly-constructed Fort Lauderdale stadium. That stadium, which sits on the former Lockhart Stadium site, will be the permanent home for the USL team and the temporary home for Inter Miami for the next two years.
Ft. Lauderdale CF will play in USL League One, which is the third tier of American pro soccer behind Major League Soccer (where Inter Miami plays) and the second-tier USL Championship league (where Miami FC plays). The coaching staff will be named in the next few weeks, and the club is finalizing contracts with players.
“Establishing an identity for Fort Lauderdale CF has been a process the organization has put a lot of thought into because it will be our permanent team playing in the Fort Lauderdale stadium for the long-term,” said Inter Miami sporting director Paul McDonough. “The team also serves an important role in providing higher level competition for talented players who are in between the Academy and First Team levels of their careers. We can keep them competing in a professional structure until a good opportunity arises for them either with us or elsewhere.”
Other MLS teams that have USL League One teams include FC Dallas, New England Revolution, Orlando City and Toronto FC. The other teams are based in Chattanooga, Tenn.; Tucson, Ariz.; Madison, Wisc.; Greenville (NC); Richmond (Va.), South Georgia and Omaha, Neb.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami continues to negotiate with international players to fill its four remaining first team roster spots – including two higher-priced Designated Players. Although the European Transfer Window closed Friday night (players can’t be added to European club rosters until the next window), MLS teams can still make deals with players in Europe to join MLS later.
A league source confirmed multiple reports that Inter Miami is close to signing Mexican national team midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro, who played for newly-hired Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso at Monterrey.