Former U.S. National Soccer Team member Brek Shea signs with Inter Miami
Brek Shea, the versatile former U.S. National Team player who changes his hairstyle as often as his field position, signed with Inter Miami, the club announced Thursday.
He will be available for the upcoming MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, which kicks off July 8.
Shea, 30, has been with the Inter Miami organization since early March, when he began training with the club’s USL team, Fort Lauderdale CF. He spent last season with Atlanta United, tore the ACL in his right knee last July and has been recovering ever since. He began training with Inter Miami’s MLS squad a few weeks ago.
He is finally in game form, he said, and eager to get back on the field and prove that he can still be a key contributor.
The 6-3 left-footed Texan plays fullback and midfielder, and though he is new to the Inter Miami roster, he instantly becomes one of the team’s most experienced players. Also, one of the most recognizable. Through the years, Shea was known for his ever-changing hairdos, from Mohawk to mullet, purple stripes to red streaks.
Shea spent 10 years in MLS and a few seasons in England with Stoke City, Barnsley and Birmingham City. He played 34 games for the U.S. National Team from 2010 to 2015, scoring winning goals against Costa Rica and Panama in the 2013 Gold Cup.
“It gives us peace of mind when we know that we have a player with experience in the league, which I faced when he was playing in Atlanta, and that gives us more depth in the squad so we can have more options,” coach Diego Alonso said. “He’s a left-footed player who plays on the wing and has a good physical profile. He’s coming off an injury downtime, but we believe that he can give a very good performance.”
Shea certainly hopes so.
“I’ve been rehabbing that knee for the past 10 months, but I’m finally able to train, feel good and I’m ready to get going,” Shea said by phone. “I’m at full-go right now.”
Shea was once one of the most promising young talents in America. He turned pro straight out of high school in 2008 and was picked No. 2 overall by FC Dallas. He helped Dallas reach the MLS Cup playoffs in 2010 and 2011.
In January 2013, Shea joined English Premier League side Stoke City for a fee of $3.1 million. Shea had trouble breaking into the lineup at Stoke, so he was sent on loan to Barnsley and Birmingham City. He came back to MLS in December 2014 to play for Orlando City, an expansion team looking for veteran leadership.
Inter Miami COO and sporting director Paul McDonough was the general manager of Orlando at the time, and that connection is a reason Shea wanted to play for Miami. He also has connections with Inter Miami’s USL coach Jason Kreis and Victor Ulloa, whom he knows from his Dallas days. He is also close friends with midfielder Lee Nguyen and forward Juan Agudelo.
Shea was traded to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2017 and signed as a free agent with Atlanta United in 2019.
“My personal goal is to stay healthy and when I’m needed, to help out,” he said. “I’ll play wherever the coach needs me. I’ve been mainly left mid, left back, I just like playing on the left side.”
The transition to South Florida has been easy because Shea’s wife’s family lives in Delray Beach, so they spend Thanksgivings and offseasons there. His wife is former tennis player Carling Seguso, the daughter of former tennis stars Carling Bassett and Robert Seguso.
Shea and Seguso met while both were training at the IMG Academy in Bradenton. They have three children — Phoenix (5), Zeppelin (3) and Raine (2). Shea joked that their kids “better be athletic” considering their genes, but he won’t push tennis or soccer on them.
“If they want to do bowling, I’ll let them do bowling, whatever they want,” Shea said.
Shea said spending three months in quarantine with the children was challenging at times, rewarding other times.
“When things were shut down, it was hard to tell the kids why we couldn’t go to the beach or the pool or the park,” he said. “But it’s gotten easier. And after doing rehab all day, coming home to them is the best part of my day. I really love that.”
As a former member of Orlando City, Shea is familiar with Orlando and Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, where the MLS is Back Tournament is being played. He is curious to see how the event will play out.
“Honestly, I have no idea what to expect. It’s the first time for everybody,” Shea said. “We have to get there and get focused. It almost seems like a preseason kind of vibe, with no fans. I’ve done a lot of preseasons at Disney in my career, so we have to get that out of our heads. These are real games that mean a lot, points, money, everything. I am just happy that I can be there.”
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 2:06 PM.