Inter Miami trades defender Ben Sweat to 2021 expansion club Austin FC for $100,000
Inter Miami continues to make off-season moves, announcing on Sunday that the club traded defender Ben Sweat to 2021 expansion club Austin FC in exchange for $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM).
Sweat was the first overall pick in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft for Inter Miami. The 29-year-old left back went on to make 22 regular season appearances in 2020, including 20 starts, registering a total of 1,675 minutes and two assists.
He started in the team’s debut match on the road against Los Angeles FC, and played in the club’s first win – a victory over Orlando City SC in the first home match at Inter Miami CF Stadium. He came off the bench in the team’s 3-0 playoff loss against Nashville SC.
Sweat’s trade is the latest move for Inter Miami, which is undergoing massive changes after a disappointing inaugural season. Only 17 of the players from last year’s roster are currently under contract with the team.
The club announced last Wednesday that COO and sporting director Paul McDonough was stepping down. The previous week, the team declined the contract options of eight players, including captain/goalkeeper Luis Robles and forward Juan Agudelo. Four MLS veterans were left out of contract – Wil Trapp, Brek Shea, A.J. De La Garza and Federico Higuain.
It is unknown if the departure of McDonough will affect the job security of coach Diego Alonso, who was hired Dec. 30, 2019, just three weeks before training camp and after much of the roster had been signed. Three of the team’s top players – Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain – did not join the club until Summer. Gonzalez Pirez came in July, Matuidi in August and Higuain in September.
Under Alonso, the team finished 10th of 14 teams in the Eastern Conference despite having one of the league’s most expensive rosters.
Alonso had no experience in MLS, so he was learning as the season progressed. He faced the same obstacles many foreign coaches face when they join the league, needing time to become familiar with the players, the complex business structure and the culture.