After finishing in tenth in the Eastern Conference and 19th overall in the wider league, Inter Miami are hoping for a better performance in what's set to be their sophomore campaign in the 2021 MLS season.
The Herons, who are currently under the guidance of former Manchester United star Phil Neville, recently took on LA Galaxy in a much-anticipated season opener this past Sunday. Despite the hosts' valiant efforts, they were unable to hold onto a 2-1 lead as their visitors came roaring back to first equalize and then steal all three points in a 3-2 win.
And now unfortunately, one of their key signings from last season has caused a bit of a headache as they prepare for their second season.
Blaise Matuidi, who was part of France's squad who won the 2018 World Cup, was signed by Inter Miami at the start of the 2020 season from Italian giants Juventus.
Because of the 34-year-old's salary, he should have been categorized as a designated player. He wasn't. As a result, at the start of the current campaign, Inter Miami had four players on their roster who fell into this category: Gonzalo Higuain, Mexico's Rodolfo Pizarro, and young Argentinian player Matías Pellegrini.
Each MLS team is actually only allowed three players as DP's.
So, in order to now fall afoul of regulations, Inter Miami was forced to ship out Matías Pellegrini to Fort Lauderdale CF, which certainly will be a huge disappointment for a young, promising star who was signed for $7 million from Estudiantes and was hoping to have a big splash in his second year in MLS.
Pellegrini is now ineligible to play in MLS this season and the club will hope that the 21-year-old won't become bitter at missing out at a chance to play in the top tier due to their own administrative error.
What happened to cause this mix-up?
Apparently, when Matuidi was signed, Inter Miami claimed they used a pool known as "team allocated money" (TAM). MLS, however, doesn't see it that way, and notes that the player's compensation is actually "above the limit for a TAM player and [as such] he should have been classified as a designated player."
