Inter Miami CF Unveils MLS NEXT Pro Team Name, Initial Roster and Full Schedule

Inter Miami CF II announced as team name ahead of first MLS NEXT Pro season;
12 players signed to professional contracts, three amateur players return;
Season to kick off March 26, conclude Sept. 18
MIAMI (February 24, 2022) – Inter Miami CF unveiled today its MLS NEXT Pro team name, Inter Miami CF II , first signings, and full schedule. The team, entering its third season in existence as Inter Miami CF’s lower division affiliate, has signed its first 12 players to MLS NEXT Pro professional contracts while three amateur players will return to the team; six of the team’s first 15 players are local South Florida talents who have come through the Inter Miami CF Academy. Inter Miami CF II’s regular season will span 24 games, commencing on March 26 and concluding on Sept. 18.

The team will once again be helmed by head coach Darren Powell, who will now be joined by new assistant coaches Federico Higuaín and Ryan Shawcross, as well as returning goalkeeper coach Chris Barocas.

All signings are pending league and U.S. Soccer Federation approval. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Amateur Players

Three Inter Miami CF Academy products – Drew Hardin, Ethan Hardin and Logan Batiste – will return to the team as amateur players.

Ethan Hardin, a center back, finished fifth on the team in minutes in 2021, playing and starting in 19 games and serving as team captain. Drew Hardin, a midfielder and Ethan’s younger brother, made 15 appearances, registering one goal and one assist. Batiste, meanwhile, trained with the team in 2021.

Professional Signings

A total of 12 players have signed MLS NEXT Pro professional contracts with the team, including eight returning from last season. The returning players include 2021 USL League One Young Player of the Year Noah Allen and finalist for the same award Shaan Hundal, as well as standout defender Harvey Neville. They will be joined by the returning Romeo Beckham, Abel Caputo, Modesto Mendez, Braxton Najib, Dairon Reyes and David Ruiz.

Nearly all of the returning players were regulars for the team in 2021, led by Allen and Hundal, who played the most minutes on the team, and Neville who finished fourth in minutes and third in starts. Caputo and Mendez will also return as key contributors following strong 2021 seasons, in which they made 21 appearances and 18 appearances respectively.

Three of these players – Allen, Reyes and Ruiz – are Inter Miami CF Academy products, while a fourth – Braxton Najib – joined the club’s lower division affiliate as an academy registered player last season.

The three new professional signings are Tyler Bagley, Shanyder Borgelin and Lawson Sunderland. Bagley, 22, was a 2022 MLS SuperDraft pick by Inter Miami, chosen 54th overall out of Cornell University as a versatile midfielder. Borgelin, 20, is a South Florida native and former Philadelphia Union II and academy forward who has also made two appearances for the Haitian senior national team. Sunderland, 20, is a former Portland Timbers academy midfielder who most recently played for UE Sant Andreu in the lower divisions of Spain.

Schedule

Each MLS NEXT Pro team will compete in 24 regular season games, 12 home and 12 away, across a 26-weeks, culminating on September 18 with MLS NEXT Pro Decision Day. Fans will be able to watch every game of the MLS NEXT Pro inaugural season via live stream on www.mlsnextpro.com. In addition, more than 30 games will be billed as “Games of the Week”, featuring enhanced productions. Each MLS NEXT Pro club will have at least one home game featured, and all playoff games will be enhanced productions.

Inter Miami CF II will kick its season off on Saturday, March 26 at 6 p.m. ET with a match against Columbus Crew 2 at DRV PNK Stadium. Its final match of the season will come against Chicago Fire FC II on the road at 3 p.m. ET on MLS NEXT Pro Decision Day.

Prioritizing regional play, teams have been divided into two conferences, an Eastern and Western Conference, comprised of two Divisions in each.

Inter Miami CF II will feature in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference alongside Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus and Orlando.

Each team will play divisional opponents two to three times, as well as the other teams in their conference at least twice. A total of four non-conference matchups will take place during the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro season.

A total of eight teams, four from each conference, will qualify for the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. This includes the top team from each division, and the two teams with the next most points in each conference.

For the full 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Schedule, please visitwww.mlsnextpro.com. More information about the Playoff Format and Schedule will be announced at a later date.

2022 Inter Miami CF II Roster