Inter Miami are in the off-season, which means no games for Lionel Messi and co – but that doesn’t mean players can’t come and go.
The off-season continues, and many Major League Soccer clubs are building their squads for the upcoming 2025 season.
While rumors of possible signings continue to grow, such as the reported interest of Inter Miami in Marc Bartra, among others, there are also updates on the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft.
The MLS Expansion Draft was a special draft organized by the league for San Diego FC. The list of 354 available players from the other 28 MLS teams was revealed on December 10th, and the event took place this past December 11th.
Although initially, Herons’ fans feared the possible acquisition of Matías Rojas by San Diego FC, it has been another player that has been taken by the newest MLS franchise.
Inter Miami goalkeeper CJ dos Santos transferred to San Diego FC
This past Wednesday, San Diego FC officially announced that they have acquired young goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos from Inter Miami in exchange for $100,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM).
The 24-year-old American goalkeeper has secured a contract for the entire 2025 MLS season with the option to extend his stay for another year. This trade will be executed once the MLS trade window reopens after the Expansion Draft.
San Diego FC’s Sporting Director, Tyler Heaps, described Dos Santos as a “promising player,” emphasizing his international experience. “We’re thrilled to add him to our roster,” Heaps added.
Unfortunately for the Benfica academy product, the only match he played in MLS with Inter Miami was the first of three in the playoff series against Atlanta United.
This match was obviously a shock for the Florida team as they lost 2-3, and it would represent one of the two losses Lionel Messi and company suffered before being eliminated from the playoffs.
In addition to that, during the same year of 2024, he played four matches in MLS NEXT Pro with Inter Miami II, recording several standout performances, especially the match on June 13th against Columbus Crew II, where he made a total of five saves, four of them inside the box.
As for the League’s Cup, Dos Santos played one match in which he performed relatively well, as he wasn’t truly tested, but he played the full 90 minutes and recorded two saves. This took place on July 27th against Puebla from Liga MX.
Inter Miami must address the goalkeeper position
Although he is no longer a teenager, it is true that Dos Santos has considerable potential, which he demonstrated in the few matches he played, either with Inter Miami or with Inter Miami II.
Certainly, CJ is not an indispensable piece for the squad now coached by Javier Mascherano, but they lose a top-quality backup, so Inter Miami will need to look to the market to find a new alternative.
With the highly probable departure of the 37-year-old Argentine goalkeeper Oscar Ustadi, the only backup remaining would be 23-year-old American Cole Jensen.
This adds to the rumors linking Drake Callender with a departure from the team, with recent reports suggesting Inter Miami’s interest in Nahuel Losada for the starting goalkeeper position.
We’ll have to wait for the coming days or weeks to find out if the Herons will finally settle the goalkeeper position.