# 2021 Inter Miami CF season

The 2021 Inter Miami CF season was the second season in the history of Inter Miami CF and the 18th season of first-division club soccer in South Florida. In addition to playing in Major League Soccer, the club was scheduled to participate in the U.S. Open Cup but the competition was cancelled for the second consecutive year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Background

Inter Miami is coming off their inaugural campaign, which marked the first time since 2001, with the Miami Fusion, that a soccer club in Greater Miami played in the first tier of American soccer. Ahead of and during the season, Miami signed several high-profile players including Argentine international, Gonzalo Higuaín, from Juventus; Mexican international, Rodolfo Pizarro, from Monterrey; and French international, Blaise Matuidi, from Juventus. The club also signed several notable young players including Matías Pellegrini, Lewis Morgan, and David Norman. Additionally, in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, Miami drafted Clemson standout, Robbie Robinson with the first overall pick.
The club's first season was significantly altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the season suspended on March 12 and not resume until July 8 with the MLS is Back Tournament. Miami lost their first two league matches before the season was suspended and subsequently lost their three group stage matches (which counted towards the regular season standings) at the MLS is Back Tournament. On August 22 against Floridian rivals, Orlando City SC, Miami won their first league match. Inter had better form following the MLS is Back Tournament, ultimately going 7–8–3, and finished the 2020 regular season with a 7–13–3 record, after 23 league matches, a reduction of the original 34 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the pandemic, the size of the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs was increased from eight teams in the Eastern Conference qualifying to 10 teams qualifying. Miami earned the 10th and final seed in the playoffs, where they played at fellow expansion side, Nashville SC in the Play-In Round on November 20. Miami lost the match 0–3, with several of their starters missing the match due to an outbreak of coronavirus on the team.
At the conclusion of the 2020 season, the club declined options on eight players. Notable players who did not have their contract renewed for the 2021 season included starting goalkeeper, Luis Robles, as well as Juan Agudelo, and Andres Reyes.

## Review
### Offseason

On January 7, 2021, Inter Miami and first year head coach, Diego Alonso mutually agreed to part ways. Several names were rumored as Alonso's successor including Phil Neville. On January 18, 2021, Neville was confirmed as head coach.

## Management

| Position | Staff |
| Ownership ||
| Lead Managing Owner | Jorge Mas |
| President | David Beckham |
| Chairman | Marcelo Claure |
| Co-Owner | Jose Mas |
| Co-Owner | Masayoshi Son |
| Front Office ||
| Chief Business Officer | Xavier Asensi |
| Sporting Director | Chris Henderson |
| Vice President | Pablo Alvarez |
| Coaching Staff ||
| Head Coach | Phil Neville |
| Assistant Coach | Jason Kreis |
| Assistant Coach | Anthony Pulis |
| Director of Goalkeeping | Mark Mason |
| Assistant Goalkeeper Coach | Sebastián Saja |
| Head of First Team Performance | Miguel Motolongo |
| Sports Scientist | Nicholas Lewis |
| Performance Analyst | Alec Scott |
| Assistant Analyst | Brett Uttley |
Last updated: November 22, 2020 Source: Inter Miami CF

## Roster

| Squad No. | Name | Position | Date of birth (Age) | Signed From |
| Goalkeepers ||||||
| 1 | John McCarthy | GK | (1992-07-04)July 4, 1992 (aged 28) | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
| 18 | Dylan Castanheira | GK | (1995-05-23)May 23, 1995 (aged 25) | Fort Lauderdale CF |
| 27 | Drake Callender | GK | (1997-10-07)October 7, 1997 (aged 23) | San Jose Earthquakes |
| 32 | Nick Marsman | GK | (1990-10-01)October 1, 1990 (aged 30) | Feyenoord |
| Defenders ||||||
| 2 | Ventura Alvarado | DF | (1992-08-16)August 16, 1992 (aged 28) | Atlético San Luis |
| 3 | Kieran Gibbs | DF | (1989-09-26)September 26, 1989 (aged 31) | West Bromwich Albion |
| 4 | Christian Makoun | DF | (2000-03-05)March 5, 2000 (aged 21) | Juventus |
| 5 | Nicolás Figal | DF | (1994-04-03)April 3, 1994 (aged 27) | Independiente |
| 15 | Patrick Seagrist | DF | (1998-02-21)February 21, 1998 (aged 23) | New York Red Bulls |
| 17 | Ryan Shawcross | DF | (1987-10-04)October 4, 1987 (aged 33) | Stoke City |
| 24 | Ian Fray | DF | (2002-08-31)August 31, 2002 (aged 18) | Fort Lauderdale CF |
| 26 | Leandro González Pírez | DF | (1992-02-26)February 26, 1992 (aged 29) | Tijuana |
| 28 | Brek Shea | DF | (1990-02-28)February 28, 1990 (aged 31) | Atlanta United FC |
| 31 | Kelvin Leerdam | DF | (1990-06-24)June 24, 1990 (aged 30) | Seattle Sounders FC |
| 33 | Joevin Jones | DF | (1991-08-03)August 3, 1991 (aged 29) | Seattle Sounders FC |
| 35 | Sami Guediri | DF | (1997-08-16)August 16, 1997 (aged 23) | Fort Lauderdale CF |
| Midfielders ||||||
| 7 | Lewis Morgan | MF | (1996-09-30)September 30, 1996 (aged 24) | Celtic |
| 8 | Blaise Matuidi | MF | (1987-04-09)April 9, 1987 (aged 34) | Juventus |
| 10 | Rodolfo Pizarro | MF | (1994-02-15)February 15, 1994 (aged 27) | Monterrey |
| 13 | Víctor Ulloa | MF | (1992-03-04)March 4, 1992 (aged 29) | FC Cincinnati |
| 14 | Jay Chapman | MF | (1994-01-01)January 1, 1994 (aged 27) | Toronto FC |
| 22 | Federico Higuaín | MF | (1984-10-25)October 25, 1984 (aged 36) | D.C. United |
| 25 | Felipe Valencia | MF | (2005-03-01)March 1, 2005 (aged 16) | Fort Lauderdale CF |
| 26 | Gregore | MF | (1994-03-02)March 2, 1994 (aged 27) | Bahia |
| 28 | Edison Azcona | MF | (2003-11-21)November 21, 2003 (aged 17) | Fort Lauderdale CF |
| 30 | George Acosta | MF | (2000-01-19)January 19, 2000 (aged 21) | Austin Bold |
| Forwards ||||||
| 9 | Gonzalo Higuaín | FW | (1987-12-10)December 10, 1987 (aged 33) | Juventus |
| 16 | Josh Penn | FW | (2000-11-25)November 25, 2000 (aged 20) | Indy Eleven |
| 19 | Robbie Robinson | FW | (1998-12-17)December 17, 1998 (aged 22) | Clemson University |
| 21 | Julián Carranza | FW | (2000-05-22)May 22, 2000 (aged 20) | Banfield |
| 29 | Indiana Vassilev | FW | (2001-02-16)February 16, 2001 (aged 20) | Aston Villa |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date | Position | No. | Name | From | Fee |
| Winter 2020–21 |||||||
| December 18, 2020 | MF | 25 | Felipe Valencia | Fort Lauderdale CF | Homegrown player |
| December 23, 2020 | DF | 15 | Patrick Seagrist | New York Red Bulls | Trade |
| January 26, 2021 | DF | 24 | Ian Fray | Fort Lauderdale CF | Homegrown player |
| January 26, 2021 | MF | 28 | Edison Azcona | Fort Lauderdale CF | Homegrown player |
| January 27, 2021 | GK | 18 | Dylan Castanheira | Fort Lauderdale CF | Free |
| February 12, 2021 | MF | 16 | Josh Penn | Indy Eleven | SuperDraft |
| February 20, 2021 | DF | 17 | Ryan Shawcross | Stoke City | Free |
| February 24, 2021 | MF | 26 | Gregore | Bahia | $4,000,000 |
| March 11, 2021 | DF | 33 | Joevin Jones | Seattle Sounders FC | Free |
| March 23, 2021 | DF | 31 | Kelvin Leerdam | Seattle Sounders FC | $75,000 GAM |
| April 16, 2021 | DF | 35 | Sami Guediri | Fort Lauderdale CF | Free |
| Summer 2021 |||||||
| July 1, 2021 | DF | 3 | Kieran Gibbs | West Bromwich Albion | Free |
| July 1, 2021 | GK | 32 | Nick Marsman | Feyenoord | Free |
| July 7, 2021 | FW | 29 | Indiana Vassilev | Aston Villa | Loan |
| July 29, 2021 | DF | 2 | Ventura Alvarado | Atlético San Luis | Free |

### Transfers out

| Date | Position | No. | Name | To | Fee |
| Winter 2020–21 |||||||
| December 3, 2020 | DF | 33 | Mikey Ambrose | Atlanta United FC | Option Declined |
| December 3, 2020 | FW | 12 | Juan Agudelo | Minnesota United FC | Option Declined |
| December 3, 2020 | FW | 17 | Jerome Kiesewetter | FC Tulsa | Option Declined |
| December 3, 2020 | MF | 15 | David Norman Jr. | Cavalry FC | Option Declined |
| December 3, 2020 | DF | 2 | Alvas Powell | Al-Hilal | Option Declined |
| December 3, 2020 | GK | 31 | Luis Robles | Retired | Option Declined |
| December 3, 2020 | DF | 36 | Denso Ulysse | Richmond Kickers | Option Declined |
| December 3, 2020 | MF | 6 | Wil Trapp | Minnesota United FC | Free |
| December 3, 2020 | DF | 20 | A. J. DeLaGarza | New England Revolution | Free |
| December 13, 2020 | DF | 22 | Ben Sweat | Austin FC | $100,000 GAM |
| January 1, 2021 | DF | 3 | Andrés Reyes | Atlético Nacional | End of Loan |
| April 11, 2021 | DF | 18 | Dylan Nealis | Nashville SC | $175,000 GAM |
| Summer 2021 |||||||
| August 2, 2021 | MF | 11 | Matías Pellegrini | Estudiantes | Loan |

### MLS SuperDraft

| Round | No. | Player | Pos. | Team |
| 1 | 10 | Josh Penn | FW | Indy Eleven |
| 1 | 26 | Aimé Mabika | DF | University of Kentucky |
| 2 | 37 | Joe Hafferty | MF | Oregon State University |

## Competitive
### Major League Soccer
#### Standings
##### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 9 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 47 | |
| 10 | CF Montréal | 34 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 46 | Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League |
| 11 | Inter Miami CF | 34 | 12 | 17 | 5 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 41 | |
| 12 | Chicago Fire FC | 34 | 9 | 18 | 7 | 36 | 54 | −18 | 34 | |
| 13 | Toronto FC | 34 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 39 | 66 | −27 | 28 | |
* 1 2 Canadian clubs cannot qualify for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.
* ↑ As 2021 Canadian Championship winners

##### Overall table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 18 | CF Montréal (V) | 34 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 46 | Qualification for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 19 | Los Angeles FC | 34 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 53 | 51 | +2 | 45 | |
| 20 | Inter Miami CF | 34 | 12 | 17 | 5 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 41 | |
| 21 | San Jose Earthquakes | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 41 | |
| 22 | Chicago Fire FC | 34 | 9 | 18 | 7 | 36 | 54 | −18 | 34 | |
* ↑ As 2021 Canadian Championship winners (CAN1)

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Pld | Pts | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 34 | 41 | 12 | 17 | 5 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 26 | 35 | −9 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 18 | −8 |
Source: MLS Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Stadium | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | A |
| Result | L | W | D | D | L | W | L | L | L | L | L | L | D | W | D | W | L | W | W | D | W | W | W | L | L | L | L | L | L | W | W | L | L | W |

#### Match results
### U.S. Open Cup

On July 20, US Soccer finally announced that the tournament would be cancelled for 2021 and would resume in 2022.

## Statistics
### Overall

| Games played | 34 |
| Games won | 12 |
| Games drawn | 5 |
| Games lost | 17 |
| Goals scored | 36 |
| Goals conceded | 53 |
| Goal difference | -17 |
| Clean sheets | 7 |
| Yellow cards | 55 |
| Red cards | 3 |
| Worst discipline | |
| Best result(s) | 5-1(FC Cincinnati) |
| Worst result(s) | 0-5(New England Revolution) |
| Most appearances | 26 games (Lewis Morgan) |
| Top scorer | 12 goals(Gonzalo Higuaín) |
| Points | Overall:41 |
Last updated: October 30, 2021 Source:

### Appearances and goals

Numbers after plus–sign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | MLS | MLS | MLS Cup | MLS Cup | USOC | USOC |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
* Last updated: November 22, 2020
* Source: TBD

### Top scorers

| Rank | Position | Number | Name | MLS | MLS Cup | USOC | Total |
| 1 | FW | 9 | Gonzalo Higuaín | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2 | FW | 19 | Robbie Robinson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | MF | 10 | Rodolfo Pizarro | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | FW | 29 | Indiana Vassilev | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | MF | 22 | Federico Higuaín | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | DF | 28 | Brek Shea | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | MF | 7 | Lewis Morgan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | DF | 4 | Christian Makoun | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | FW | 21 | Julián Carranza | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | DF | 3 | Kieran Gibbs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | DF | 5 | Nicolás Figal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | MF | 8 | Blaise Matuidi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 35 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
As of 8 November 2021.

### Top assists

| Rank | Position | Number | Name | MLS | MLS Cup | USOC | Total |

### Disciplinary record

| No. | Pos. | Player | MLS | MLS | MLS | MLS Cup | MLS Cup | MLS Cup | USOC | USOC | USOC | Total | Total | Total |
| 26 | MF | Gregore | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | Leandro González Pírez | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Nicolás Figal | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Blaise Matuidi | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | Robbie Robinson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |

## Awards and honors

To be announced during the 2021 season.