The long wait for an Inter Miami coach is about to end. Diego Alonso, a former Uruguayan player who most recently coached Monterrey in the Mexican league, is expected to be named Inter Miami’s first coach on Monday.
The news was first reported on ESPN Deportes’ Jorge Ramos y su Banda show, and a league source confirmed that Alonso is, in fact, Inter Miami’s choice for coach. Ramos is a Uruguayan sports commentator.
Inter Miami officials, reached late Friday night, had no comment. The team has signed 20 players and Major League Soccer training camp begins the third week of January. Their first game is March 1 at Los Angeles FC.
Alonso, 44, coached Monterrey in 2018-19 after spending four seasons with Mexican team Pachuca, leading both teams to CONCACAF Champions League titles -- Pachuca in 2016-17 and Monterrey in 2019. He also led Pachuca to a third-place finish in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup and Copa MX runner up in 2017. Pachuca’s success came with a young team, and much of Inter Miami’s roster is young, making him a good candidate.
Despite leading Monterrey’s “Rayados” (The Striped Ones) to the Champions League title in May and beating archrival Tigres in the final, Alonso was fired on Sept. 30. His overall record with the club was 31-12-12, but media critics were getting loud after a September slump, and a 2-0 home league loss to Tigres pushed team officials to let go of Alonso and bring back his predecessor, Antonio Mohamed.
Alonso was 74-53-46 with Pachuca. Before the Mexican league, he coached at Olimpia (Paraguay), Penarol (Uruguay), Guarani (Paraguay) and Bella Vista (Uruguay).
He played five years in Spain for five clubs – Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Racing de Santander, Malaga, and Real Murcia. He also played in Mexico, Uruguay, and China. Alonso also made eight appearances for the Uruguayan national team.
Other coaches who had been linked to the Inter Miami job were Marcelo Gallardo of River Plate, Patrick Vieira of Nice, and Carlo Ancelotti of Napoli, who was just hired by Everton.
Also, on Saturday, Inter Miami announced it acquired 27-year-old forward Juan Agudelo from Toronto FC in exchange for a 2021 Major League Soccer SuperDraft third-round pick.
“Juan has several years of experience in and out of this league and still has a lot to give,” said sporting director Paul McDonough. “He has shown that he’s a very talented player and we feel he will add valuable depth to our squad.”
Agudelo was picked by Toronto FC in the 2019 MLS Re-Entry Draft on Dec. 3. The explosive attacker most recently played six seasons for the New England Revolution, scoring 35 goals with 16 assists. He helped guide the club to the playoffs in 2013, 2015, and 2019.
He spent part of the 2014 season with top-division Dutch side FC Utrech, where he scored three goals and had three assists in 14 games.
Agudelo, a Colombian-American, began his pro career with the New York Red Bulls, spent two seasons there and was traded to Chivas USA. He has 46 goals and 22 assists in 216 career MLS games. He also has played 28 games for the U.S. national team.
Inter Miami still has several roster spots to fill, including two higher-priced Designated Players. David Silva of Manchester City is reportedly one of them. Those signings are expected in the next few weeks, as the European transfer period begins.
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 12:26 AM.