Lauderdale. The coach of the new team
will be Uruguayan Diego Alonso, who
moves from Mexico’s Monterrey.
The selection of a Latin-American
boss is significant. Miami has a huge
Latin-American population and has been
dubbed “South America North”. And
while not all – particularly the Cubans
- are necessarily devoted to soccer, it
is evidently felt that there is a large
reservoir of fans waiting for a pro team.
Rumours of a major big-name signing
have been circulating for the past year,
but none has yet appeared. So far the
trend for Inter Miami has been to sign
promising Latino youngsters, including
the highly-touted 19-year-old Argentinian
midfielder Matias Pellegrini.
The other 2020 expansion team,
Nashville, have been experiencing rather
different stadium problems.
Their franchise was granted largely
on the strength of guarantees that the
mayor was giving strong support to plans
to construct a new stadium. However, a
scandal enveloped the mayor and forced
her resignation – and the new mayor is a
long-time opponent of the plan to build
a new arena.
Nashville’s most important signing to
date has been 32-year-old Dax McCarty,
a midfielder who brings 13 years of MLS
experience with Dallas, DC United and
New York Red Bulls. But most of their
players are newcomers to MLS, as are
most of Inter Miami’s, and neither club
looks capable of causing any upsets.
Atlanta United did shine as an
expansion team in 2017, and won the
league in 2018, but they faded last
year. The departure of Tata Martinez to
coach Mexico saw the arrival of Frank De
Boer and a change in the team’s
personality from Latin sparkle to Dutch
defensiveness. The Open Cup was won in
2019 but that was all and the hope of a
return to the entertaining team of 2018
seems unlikely.
But entertaining Latin football will not
be lacking in 2020 and it will most
surely be played by Los Angeles
FC, with the superb Mexican Carlos
Vela and his scoring partner
Uruguayan Diego Rossi.
Coach Bob Bradley has added
more Latin talent in 21-year-old
Uruguayan midfielder Francisco
Ginella and Jose Cifuentes, a 20-^
year-old midfielder from Ecuador,
leaving LAFC positioned as serious
contenders for the MLS title.
LA Galaxy also have championship
hopes and will be looking to avenge the
5-3 drubbing they took from LAFC in last
year’s semi-finals. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has
gone and his remarkable goals – if not
his self-admiration – will be missed. Even
so, optimism is in the air as Galaxy have
picked up Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez,
the all-time leading scorer for Mexico
with 52 goals who had an 11-year
European career that included stints with
Manchester United, West Ham United,
Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen.
Hernandez’s arrival at Galaxy has beencalled the most important MLS
signing since David Beckham.
Latin players – Nicolas Lodeiro
(Uruguay) and Raul Ruidiaz (Peru)- also played a big part in the
Seattle Sounders’ winning of the
2019 title. This year coach Brian
Schmetzer has strengthened
the team’s Latin ties by signing
Colombian defender Yeimar Gomez and
Brazilian midfielder Joao Paulo. Add
in the growing confidence of young
American striker Jordan Morris and
Seattle have hopes of becoming the first
MLS team to successfully defend their
title since Galaxy in 2012.
Toronto, despite finishing a lowly ninth
in the overall 2019 standings, advanced
through the play-offs to the Final. Even
though that ended with a 3-1 loss to
Seattle it was a remarkable achievement,
though one they can hardly expect to
repeat again as star players Michael
Bradley (32), Jozy Altidore (30) and
Pablo Piatti (30) aren’t getting any
younger. New blood is needed, but no
Latino...Seattle Sounders midfielder Joao Paulo
Temperamental
...Thierry HenryQuality...Carlos Vela