Inter Miami announced today the signing of Brek Shea, a versatile MLS veteran. The 30-year-old brings 10 years of experience in the league to the roster and joins after recovering at the Inter Miami CF Training Center and participating in partial training with Fort Lauderdale CF.
“It feels good. I'm excited to be here,” said Shea. “Nothing can take away the first year. This is the first year of the Club and I'm excited to be part of that. I’ll always be a part of that.”
“You look around the stadium and the training grounds, to have all this before you even play a game, it shows the Club is willing to do it and really do it right.”
Head Coach Diego Alonso was pleased to be able to add a player of such quality ahead of the MLS is Back Tournament, scheduled to kick off with our matchup against Shea’s old club Orlando City SC on July 8.
“It gives us peace of mind when we know that we have a player with experience in the league, which I faced when he was playing in Atlanta, and that gives us more depth in the squad so we can have more options,” said Alonso.
Shea’s positional and tactical flexibility have been hallmarks of his career. As a left-footed player, he has excelled in positions up and down the left wing.
“I think I can bring versatility; I can play in a couple of positions,” said Shea. “I just want to bring that and a smile and hopefully get some points.”
“He's a left-footed player who plays on the wing and has a good physical profile. He’s coming off of an injury downtime, but we believe that he can give a very good performance competing with us,” said Alonso. “He will add depth and variability so that we can have more options in that position. He is also a versatile player who offers you various possibilities, he has played a long time not only as a winger, but also as a wingback. This also allows us to change our formation with him on the field and allows us to have more options at the tactical level and more options in the choice of footballers.”
Shea, who has made over 30 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team, spent the 2019 season with Atlanta United where he made 19 regular season appearances, starting in 10 of those, and won the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. There, however, he suffered a knee injury that ended his season and led to him rehabbing at the Inter Miami CF Training Center and partially with Fort Lauderdale CF.
“Coming off this injury, I want to get back and be healthy and be available each game. For me it’s just: Start small and then work from there. To be healthy is a big part of that to help contribute as much as I can,” said Shea. “Since the day I arrived the Club has been a big help, helping me slowly come back into training with the USL squad, using the facilities to strengthen everything and to get ready for the season.”
“In training he has come from less to more, improving day by day,” said Alonso. “It’s logical since he’s coming from a large period of inactivity - almost a year - and we know that we have to be careful with him and be patient for him to return to his best level."
Shea, who is now fully healthy, has simple expectations upon joining his new club.
“Obviously to win. To win games and do the best we can.”
