Beckham visits Inter Miami practice, says club might wait until summer to sign third DP
David Beckham paid a visit to the Inter Miami training session Tuesday morning, shook hands with every player, gave a brief talk, and congratulated goalkeeper Luis Robles on being named team captain.
As he looked around the new, $120 million stadium and training complex, which is scheduled to be completed for the March 14 home opener against the Los Angeles Galaxy, Beckham thought back to March 2019, when he and co-owner Jorge Mas stood in the abandoned Lockhart Stadium, overgrown with weeds.
“Ten months ago, we actually stood on this facility with weeds growing out of the ground and tumbleweeds rolling past us and now to see what’s been created. ... Jorge said at the time, and people were very surprised and not very optimistic that it would be possible,’’ Beckham said. “But I think the proof is when people come down and see, they’ll be very excited.”
The team opens its inaugural Major League Soccer season on Sunday at Los Angeles FC with 28 of its 30 roster spots filled. Mas confirmed Tuesday that he expects to compete a loan deal for Boca Juniors midfielder Agustin Almendra “very, very soon.”
As for the third and final higher-priced Designated Player spot, the club is shopping for a striker and might wait until the summer transfer window, when Europe-based players will be available. David Silva of Manchester City and Edinson Cavani of Paris Saint Germain are among the big-names who have been linked with Inter Miami, as has Colombian forward Roger Martinez of Mexican club America.
“In all probability, everyone has been expecting a really big name, someone from Europe, there’s a possibility we wait until the summer window for that nine [forward],” Mas said. “We have alternatives. The injury to Julian Carranza, obviously, we need depth at that position. A nine, in all likelihood, our main DP will probably be either in the summer window or we’ll have some type of loan transaction in the short term.”
From the launch of the team six years ago, and then when Mas joined the ownership group in late 2018, there was talk of at least one global star on the roster. The allure of Miami and Beckham’s connections were expected to attract big names. And many marquee names have been rumored to be talking to the club. But thus far, the most well-known name is Mexican national team star Rodolfo Pizarro.
Beckham: Third DP can wait
Asked if he is disappointed that the third DP spot remains vacant, Beckham said: “I am not disappointed in any way possible because I know this has taken seven years, a lot of you have seen those seven years unfold, there’s been some frustrating times, but someone turned around to me the other day and said: ‘What would be success for this team and this franchise?’ For me, on the 14th of March, when we step onto our stadium in front of our fans, for me, that’s success because I know what it’s taken to get here.
“We’re Miami, so people are always going to talk about the big-name players, what DPs are we going to bring in? We’re more than happy with the squad of players we’ve got. ... If we do bring another one or two players in before that, then great, but I think we’re looking toward the summer. This is a long-term project. We’re going to be here for many, many years to come, so that longevity is an important part for us. ... I don’t think anyone will be frustrated we don’t have a big-name player for the first game.”
Mas said the owners and team executives are more interested in winning than signing a celebrity.
“We’re looking at someone who can score north of 25 goals,” Mas said. “This is about winning. This isn’t just about bringing in a name for marketing and PR and selling a thousand more jerseys. That’s not the objective. There are very high-profile players who we’re extremely interested in. We’ve been linked to a lot of them. We’re looking for a 9, and I think that’s where our final DP spot will go.”
Luis Robles named captain
In the meantime, they will open Sunday with a mix of MLS veterans and newcomers, and with Robles wearing the captain’s armband. Robles, 35, was the captain of the New York Red Bulls and set an MLS record for consecutive regular-season matches played with 183 from September 2012 to May 2018. He is on the executive board of the MLS Players Union and recently helped negotiate a new collective-bargaining agreement.
Coach Diego Alonso’s advice to Robles was to hit the gym and work on his biceps “because trophies are heavy” to lift.
“You can tell, there’s certain players that walk onto the training field, the stadium, and they’ve got an aura about them, a leadership about them. That’s why he’s our captain,” Beckham said of Robles.
Robles said he was “truly honored” to be named captain. In his short time with the club, he had already emerged as a natural leader with the Spanish-speaking, English-speaking, and bilingual players.
“I started reaching out to guys through social media, texting, to come in a few days early and start training,” Robles said. “When I first got here there were three guys, then nine, 14 at the start of preseason, and as we get closer, we are almost at a full roster. Over the past few weeks, there’s key pieces that have come into the fold and now you have a team starting completely new and now you’re integrating really important pieces.
“It’s a work in progress. We believe everything Diego is preaching to us, that we can be a truly exceptional team, but it’s going to take time. As we go into this weekend to play LAFC, we don’t expect perfection, we know there will be growing pains, but more than anything, we’re committed and our hearts will be on display.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 3:08 PM.