CF Montreal centre-back Kamal Miller and $1.3 million in General Allowance Amount (GAM) were sent to Inter Miami in return for midfielder Bryce Duke and winger Ari Lassiter.
The two teams will keep a percentage of a possible resale of one of the three players involved in the transaction, the clubs announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Miller had a rocky start to the season with the Bleu-blanc-noir. The only survivor of the Impact players who played for Canada at the World Cup, the 25-year-old defender was in his third season in a Montreal uniform.
The former Orlando City has never made a secret of his ambitions to play in Europe and with the teams’ respective records this season, Miami could prove a better showcase.
“You just have to keep playing well and doing what I did last year and hopefully things will fall into place,” Miller said during training camp of a potential transferred to the Old Continent. “[…] I hope that not only me, but also a lot of other guys here will be exposed and have the opportunity to play at the next level. »
So if his wish is granted, CF Montreal will receive part of the amount.
For its part, with this influx of GAM Miami will have more flexibility to acquire international players. David Beckham’s club is eternally linked to Lionel Messi, but he could well fall back on a former Argentinian teammate at FC Barcelona, defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets in the coming months.
CF Montreal badly needs an electric shock on offense. The Impact has only three goals to its name and is last in the Garber circuit for the number of expected goals, 5.5 after six games. It should be noted that he has scored only one goal at 11 against 11 this season and it is thanks to a penalty.
In short, the centerpiece of the acquisition for the CFM, Bryce Duke, will help put things back in that department. The Arizona native has played most of the season as a defensive midfielder with Miami to fill some gaps, but his natural position is as an attacking midfielder.
Given the departure of Djordje Mihailovic in the off-season and the injury of Matko Miljevic, the CFM has pinned its hopes on Sean Rea — who had no minutes in MLS on the clock before the season — and Mathieu Choinière, who can troubleshoot at all positions.
Olivier Renard clarified in the press release that he had been “in contact with Miami for some time for Bryce”. He noted appreciating the 22-year-old 5’7″ “smartness on the court” and “good technique”.
Duke has four starts and seven games under the tie this season and has amassed one assist. His 2022 campaign was the most productive of his career as he registered one goal and seven assists in 28 appearances.
Lassiter brings a presence on the wings for the CFM. The 28-year-old Costa Rican, who can also play as a striker, has also just concluded his prolific season of his career with four goals and five assists in 30 games.
“Ariel is a versatile, left-handed player with good speed and scoring ability,” Renard said of the Ticos member.
Miller’s departure ends the trident era in central defense he formed with Rudy Camacho and Joel Waterman. Since the CFM does not want to deviate from its formation of three central defenders, there is therefore a position to be filled.
It’s a golden opportunity for Gabriele Corbo, who started Saturday’s game against the New England Revolution, since the other central defender in sight, George Campbell, is currently struggling with an ankle injury.
It should be mentioned, however, that Miller held the position on the left in the center hinge. It is therefore possible that Hernán Losada, head coach of CFM, is tempted to send Icelandic Róbert Thorkelsson, a left-hander, into the fray.
The sum of 1.3 million is rather high considering that CF Montreal sends the most established player in MLS in the transaction.
However, it should be mentioned that the Bleu-blanc-noir has collected a good amount of MAGs in recent months. Only for 2023, the CFM received $125,000 from GAM for Kei Kamara, $250,000 for Joaquin Torres and possibly transformed money received for the transfers of Ismaël Koné, Alistair Johnston and Mihailovic into GAM. In 2022, each club received 1625 million in MAG at the start of the season. The amount for 2023 is unknown.
