Sources: Canadian midfielder Noble Okello trialing with Inter Miami
The 22-year-old player is currently out of contract and practicing with the South Florida side
Josef Martinez is not the only new face that has arrived at Inter Miami camp.
Canadian defensive midfielder Noble Okello is currently in South Florida trialing with La Rosanegra, sources have told Miami Total Futbol. Okello most recently played for Toronto FC, but the Reds opted not to re-sign the 22-year-old player to a new deal following the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2022 season.
Boasting an imposing 6-foot-5 frame, Okello could give Inter Miami head coach Phil Neville another enforcer option for the center of the park if signed. Seasoned veterans Gregore and Victor Ulloa are currently two players on the South Florida side’s roster that fit that role.
Okello’s trial will likely further fuel speculation regarding the future of team captain Gregore. The bruising 28-year-old midfielder is reportedly drawing interest from Cruzeiro in his native Brazil amid talk that he may have to be classified as a Designated Player on Inter Miami’s roster in 2023.
Okello started his career with Toronto FC, playing for the Canadian side’s academy before moving up to the second team in 2017 and the first team in 2019. He totaled 14 starts in 23 MLS appearances in his four seasons with Toronto FC, scoring one goal and delivering one assist.
The former Canadian international appeared in four of the Reds’ first five games last season, but eventually suffered an injury the kept him out of action for five months. He finished the 2022 campaign with four starts in eight MLS matches.
Much of the talk regarding Inter Miami right now is the looming acquisition of MLS Cup-winning striker Josef Martinez, who is expected to be bought out by Atlanta United before officially being signed to a non-DP deal. Sources told Miami Total Futbol this past Sunday that Martinez has already begun training at Inter Miami’s practice facility, and that an announcement regarding his arrival is imminent.
Inter Miami’s first preseason game of 2023 will take place on Saturday night, with Neville’s men playing host to Brazilian club Vasco da Gama at Drv Pnk Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.