Four Captains Named for the 2021 MLS Season

By Inter Miami CF

April 17^th, 2021

Ahead of this Sunday’s 2021 season opener, head coach Phil Neville announced the players he selected as Inter Miami’s captains for the year; Gonzalo Higuaín, Blaise Matuidi, Leandro González Pirez, and Victor Ulloa will serve as captain on a rotating basis for the 2021 MLS season.

Four Captains Named for the 2021 MLS Season

“I look more for how many captains, how many leaders can we develop within the team. When I look about what I want to implement into the team, behaviors, values, qualities, characters. I want my captains to have those qualities and to have the ability to influence the group…That is something I really want to develop within this fútbol club,” said Neville.

The team’s captains will have just that as they incorporate a wealth of experience captaining both at Inter Miami and abroad in some of the world’s top competitions.

Higuaín brings experience captaining Inter Miami, having taken over the role for the final stretch of the 2020 season. The Argentine striker also has title-winning experience at the highest levels of the sport, including Italy with Juventus, Spain with Real Madrid and England with Chelsea, making him accustomed to the pressure of captaining and leading a squad.

Matuidi, like Higuaín, understands what it is like to play at the highest level. He is a FIFA World Cup winner, helping lead France to the title in 2018, and the only active World Cup winner in MLS. He also previously featured for Paris Saint Germain and Juventus, where he competed in high-profile international competitions such as the UEFA Champions League. Matuidi also captained Inter Miami at distinct moments throughout last season and will continue to be an important presence both on and off the pitch.

LGP will also be an important presence on and off the pitch for Inter Miami, after previously serving as captain in a crucial victory late in the 2020 season in which he scored an 89th minute winner. The Argentine’s bilingual background is essential in communicating with the squad and organizing a diverse back-line.

He brings a great understanding of MLS as well, having played for Atlanta United and featuring in the 2019 MLS All-Star squad against Atletico Madrid.

As an experienced MLS veteran, Ulloa understands the league well and appeared in nearly every match for Inter Miami last year. Being bilingual, he also plays an important role in midfield by communicating fluently with the multicultural attack and defense.

Neville explained the rationale behind choosing four captains for this season as well as the significance of the armband, citing his past experiences in the sport.

“I have been a leader…I’ve always been involved in teams where there has always been more than just one captain. But that is not the most important player for me....We have four captains within the group and they each individually have great qualities,” said Neville.

“I want people to embody what I want the culture to be like and I think these four represent Inter Miami… Let’s get to work.”

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