Inter Miami has not yet announced the signing of former FC Barcelona defender Jordi Alba, but he appeared on the team’s official Leagues Cup roster that was released to the media at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
Tournament organizers released the rosters of all 47 MLS and Liga MX teams, and Alba was listed on the Miami roster, wearing shirt No. 6. The Miami roster was later removed from the website, the only one of the 47 teams whose roster is missing.
Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said Tuesday that Alba “should be signed (Tuesday)” and co-owner David Beckham mentioned Alba in an interview with the Miami Herald. “We have to be able to give Leo (Messi) and Sergio (Busquets) and Jordi the opportunity to ease into this because there is going to be some adjustment,” Beckham said.
Alba, who played with Messi and Busquets at Barcelona, has been in talks with Miami for quite some time. His wife is expecting their third child any day, and after that he will travel to South Florida to sign his contract and undergo his physical, according to a team source. He will sign as a “TAM” player (Targeted Allocation Money), not as a highest-salary-level Designated Player.
Messi and Busquets are expected to make their Miami debut on Friday night in the Leagues Cup opener against Liga MX team Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium. It is unlikely they will start, as they have been training with the team for less than a week.
Another name that was on the Leagues Cup roster was midfielder Gregore, who is recovering from foot surgery and was not expected to return until September. It is possible, if Miami makes a deep run, that Gregore could be back in time.
