MIAMI (AP) - Ryan Shawcross signed with David Beckham’s Inter Miami in Major League Soccer on Saturday, a day after leaving the English club Stoke after 14 years.
Miami said it acquired the central defender on a free transfer, pending a successful physical, an international transfer certificate and a P-1 U.S. visa.
“Ryan fits the Inter Miami DNA because of his experience and his longevity at a club,” Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said in a statement. “He’s going to be able to come here and be a leader, not only on the field, but his leadership will be seen with the young players and players coming through. He’s physically dominant, his feet are good, his range of passing is good and we think he’s going to be a great addition to our backline.”
Shawcross has seen limited playing time since breaking a leg during a preseason game against Leicester in July 2019.
The 33-year-old had been Stoke’s captain since before the 2009-10 season. He scored 25 goals in 453 appearances, including 401 games in the Premier League and second-tier League Championship.
He joined Stoke on loan from Manchester United in 2007, where he had been limited to two League Cup appearances, after he spent the second half of the 2006-07 season on loan at Belgium’s Royal Antwerp. His move to Stoke was made permanent the following January.
He played four matches with Stoke against Everton’s Phil Neville, now Miami’s coach.
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