The Inter Miami CF Academy presented by Baptist Health has officially concluded another thrilling season across its seven age groups: U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16, U-17 and U-19. This year, we witnessed numerous accomplishments and highlight-worthy moments. Let's dive into some season highlights below:
Professional Debuts
Over the last season, a total of 10 Academy players made their professional debuts for Inter Miami CF II, the Club’s MLS NEXT Pro side, while on Academy contracts.
- Lorenzo D'Agostini
- Italo Addimandi
- Cesar Abadia-Reda
- Joseph Convers
- Ricardo Montenegro
- Samuel Basabe
- Jack Plymm
- Santiago Morales
- Alejandro Flores
- Kevin Gorbel
Notably, defender Cesar Abadia-Reda was named as MLS NEXT Pro’s Rising Star of the Matchday for Matchday 5 of the 2023 regular season. The 17-year-old earns Rising Star of the Matchday honors after his influential performance in Inter Miami II’s 4-3 win over Huntsville City FC at DRV PNK Stadium over Huntsville City FC on Sunday.
Abadia-Reda, nicknamed Cheche, entered the match as a second-half substitute in the 64th minute and got his name on the scoresheet just 20 seconds later to put the team ahead 3-2 on the scoresheet after rallying to comeback from a 0-2 deficit. The goal was his first for Inter Miami II and the first overall of his professional career.
Inter Miami CF II Promotions
Three Academy products earned their first professional contracts with Inter Miami II this season.
- Israel Boatwright
- Bryan Destin
- Tyler Hall
First Team Promotions and Debuts
Throughout the season, two Academy players earned Homegrown contracts with the First Team and are currently having an impact in their first season in MLS. Additionally, two other Academy products made their MLS debuts this campaign: Ian Fray, who was signed by Inter Miami as a Homegrown in 2021 and missed the 2021 and 2022 campaign due to injury, and Israel Boatwright, who featured in an MLS match while being on a short-term loan agreement from Inter Miami II.
- Benjamin Cremaschi - Signed as a Homegrown Player in November 2022
- David Ruiz - Signed as a Homegrown Player in April 2023
- Ian Fray - Made First Team debut in MLS regular season road match against Nashville SC in May
- Israel Boatwright - Made First Team debut in MLS regular season road match against the Philadelphia Union in June
National Team Call-Ups
Inter Miami Academy players have continued getting noticed by national teams from around the world. This past season, 19 players were selected throughout the season to represent their countries on the international arena. Academy players featured in a wide array of competitions, including international friendlies, FIFA U-20 World Cup, Concacaf U-20 Championship, Concacaf U-17 Championship, Ježek Cup, 2023 International Dream cup, 2023 U-15 Uncaf Tournament, and more.
USA
- U-14 Gabriel Florentino
- U-16: Daniel Pinter*
- U-16: Nicholas Almeida
- U-16 &U-17: Santiago Morales
- U-19: David Ruiz*
- U-19 & U-20: Benjamin Cremaschi*
- U-17 & U-20: Tyler Hall
Puerto Rico
- U-15: Marco Cantalapiedra
- U-16: Ezequiel Abadia-Reda
- U-17: Adrián Rosario
- U-19: Benjamin Donato
- U-19: Sebastian Otero
Jamaica
- U-15: Cadriano Marsh
- U-15: Kai Williamson
- U-17: Brandon Bent
Argentina
- U-20: Benjamin Cremaschi*
Dominican Republic
- U-20: Israel Boatwright
Honduras
- U-20: David Ruiz*
Hungary
- U-16: Daniel Pinter*
Canada
- U-17: Victor Fung
Croatia
- U-14: Kai Nesfield
Haiti
- U-17: Bryan Destin
NOTE: * Means that the player received call ups for more than one national team
MLS NEXT All-Star Game Selection
Defender Tyler Hall, 17, was selected as one of the top 44 best youth soccer players in North America to play in this year’s MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate set to take place on July 19 and have the once-in-a-lifetime player experience during MLS All-Star Week.
Commitments to Play for Top Programs in the Nation
This season, nine players from our Academy’s U-19 side committed to play for some of the top college soccer programs in the nation.
- Italo Addimandi - Northwestern University
- Pedro Faife - University of South Florida
- Angel Fernandez - Houston Christian University
- Kevin Gorbell - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Mikhail Keise - University of South Florida
- Jonathan Nabaka - University of Michigan
- Ian Nuñez - Princeton University
- Matías Paredes - University of Connecticut
- Gabriel Velez - North Carolina State University
On-Field Results
Success had many forms this year for our Academy throughout the 2022-2023 season. With the many milestones and wins, the compilation of these achievements earned Inter Miami CF consideration as a finalist for MLS Academy of the Year Award as part of the 2022 Mark Abbott MLS Club Awards. The accomplishments included:
U-13
- Finished the 2023 Easter International Cup undefeated and claimed the U-13 category gold division championship title.
- Won the MLS NEXT U-13 Florida Division.
- Competed in 2023 LaLiga Pomises.
U-14
- Clinched the silver division crown at the 2023 Easter International Cup.
- Remained undefeated across the team’s 24 league games to win the MLS NEXT U-14 Florida Division.
U-15
- Won the MLS NEXT U-15 East Division.
- Secured a spot in MLS NEXT Playoffs.
- Competed in 2023 Generation adidas Cup.
U-16
- Remained unbeaten and won the MLS NEXT U-16 Florida Division.
- Finished in first place in its group at MLS NEXT Flex with an undefeated record to clinch a spot in the MLS NEXT Playoffs.
- Competed in 2023 Generation adidas Cup.
U-19
- Won the 2023 Spring UPSL Florida South Division title in its first year since being incorporated
Off-Field Evolutions
Throughout this past season, the Inter Miami CF Academy also provided expanded educational support for its players and launched the Partner Club Program to continue fostering relationships between Inter Miami CF and the South Florida community. In this move to unite Soccer in South Florida, Inter Miami FC allied itself with over 30 local academies to further the development of fútbol throughout the region.
Additionally, the Academy launched the Freedom Cup in 2022 and hosted the inaugural edition with the mission of the tournament being to create a unique, one-of-a-kind tournament atmosphere where our Academy teams could compete with the highest-level teams possible at the Club’s facilities. The second edition of the in-house, high-level tournament will take place later this year from Dec. 14 to 17 at the Florida Blue Training Center and will encompass three age brackets: U-12, U-13 and U-14.
For additional coverage of our teams, you can follow our Academy’s journey online by following our Twitter account @InterMiamiAcad and Instagram @InterMiamiCF_Academy accounts.
