MIAMI (April 3, 2019) – Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami is closing in on selecting and signing the first group of players to wear the Club’s crest, not for the First Team but its development Academy, just four months shy of beginning its inaugural season in September.
On Tuesday evening, nearly 550 of 6,000 players scouted began participating in the Club’s invite-only I.D. sessions, which will continue through May 1 at Central Broward Regional Park. The Club will narrow down the list to nearly 120 players to field seven Academy teams for age groups 12 to 19.
“This is a big milestone for us to build a professional development Academy with youth players in South Florida, from Palm Beach all the way down to the Florida Keys,” said Sporting Director Paul McDonough. “We are establishing a solid foundation to give our local players the best opportunities to grow and pursue professional careers with our Club’s First Team and beyond.”
Players, who are putting their technical skills and athleticism on display, are being evaluated by Inter Miami’s growing staff, including McDonough, director of soccer operations Niki Budalic, technical director Kurt Schmid, coaches Javier Morales, Victor Pastora and Juan Carlos Michia, as well Club coach and the U.S Men’s National Under-23 Team coach Jason Kreis.
“We began scouting last August,” added McDonough. “We’ve spoken with local clubs, schools, coaches and everyone in the soccer community to find the most talented players across every zip code in our market.”
Inter Miami was admitted to the U.S. Development Academy for the 2019-20 season, and it will fully fund the program for all players. The teams will begin preseason training in August with the season kicking off in September.
