Casemiro rumor heats up, La Familia returns as Inter Miami faces Philly on Sunday
Inter Miami is about to play at home Sunday against the Philadelphia Union, its final match before a seven-week MLS World Cup break; and the two main topics on fans’ minds have nothing to do with the action on the field.
They are focused on the Casemiro-to-Miami rumors and the fallout from last week’s silent protest by the La Familia fan group.
Reports have been swirling for weeks that Casemiro, the Brazilian Manchester United star midfielder, could become Messi’s teammate after the World Cup. Casemiro, 34, announced he is leaving Manchester United this summer when his contract expires on June 30.
He has said he would like to join Inter Miami, according to published reports, and Miami midfielder Telasco Segovia added fuel to the rumors by discussing on Friday what Casemiro would add to the team.
“I know Casemiro is coming. He’s a great player,” Segovia told reporters after training Friday. “If that’s the case, he is more than welcome. I hope he contributes a lot to the team, I believe he will give us so much.”
He would join Inter Miami as a free agent during MLS’s secondary transfer window, which runs from July 13 to Sept. 2.
But it is a complicated situation, and signing him will not be easy, according to club sources.
For one thing, the Los Angeles Galaxy holds Casemiro’s “discovery rights,” an MLS roster mechanism that gives that club priority to negotiate with the player. The Galaxy and Inter Miami would have to agree on a deal to hand his rights over to Miami before Miami could sign him.
Then, there is the salary cap issue. Each MLS team is allowed only three designated players who can exceed the league maximum salary. Miami’s three DPs are Messi ($28.3 million), midfielder Rodrigo De Paul ($9.7 million) and forward German Berterame ($3.8 million), who signed with Miami this season on a $15 million transfer from Mexican club Monterrey.
Casemiro scored nine goals in 33 games for Manchester United this season and is expected to be a key player for Brazil in the World Cup this summer. Before signing with the EPL club in the summer of 2022, Casemiro won three La Liga titles and five Champions League Titles with Real Madrid (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022).
The other issue on fans’ minds this weekend is whether La Familia, Inter Miami’s ardent fan group, will be back to its usual noisy, spirited selves Sunday after staging an 85-minute silent protest during last Sunday’s 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers.
The answer is yes.
Club leadership met with La Familia on Wednesday, and while neither side has revealed exactly what was discussed or promised, several members of La Familia told the Herald that it was a positive, productive meeting and that they planned to be back Sunday with their banners, drums and chants.
La Familia kept quiet during the last game because it felt players were not showing the gratitude it deserved for the energy and atmosphere it brings to the stadium. La Familia was particularly upset that Messi and the majority of his teammates had not saluted them after games, as is customary in soccer culture.
As for Sunday’s game itself (7 p.m., FOX, Apple TV), Miami, second place in the Eastern Conference, will be heavily favored over the last-place Union. It will be a battle between league’s highest and lowest payrolls. Miami is spending $54.6 million in guaranteed compensation for its players this season while Philadelphia is spending $11.7 million.
The Union won the Supporters’ Shield last season, but this year has the worst record in the league with just one win, nine losses and four ties. The club let go of high-salaried veterans, and that has made a big impact.
Jakob Glesnes was traded to the LA Galaxy, Tai Baribo transferred to D.C. United, and Kai Wagner and Mikael Uhre left at the end of their contracts.
Second-year coach Bradley Carnell said he knows his team is the heavy underdog, and he hopes that motivates them to pull off a surprise.
“This is the most polished and best Miami team I’ve seen since their expansion,” Carnell said on Friday. “They’re younger. They’re dynamic. They can hurt you. Their pressing metrics are pretty good, up high they hunt the ball. Defensively they’ve invested a lot, too. Then, you go a layer deeper with De Paul and [Yannick] Bright, who are very combative. And, they’ve got gamers on the last line, as well.
“They signed strategically, which has made them a whole lot better because then you put the star power and firepower up front…so, yeah, we have our hands full for sure.”