While Inter Miami earned a valuable draw against Nashville SC, drawing goalless as visitors, in this match valid for the third week of the 2021 season in Major League Soccer (MLS) witnessed a historic event, starring the young Dominican midfielder Edison Azcona.
With his entry in the 67th minute of the match, replacing Jay Chapman, the 17-year-old became the first player trained in the Academy of the Florida franchise to make his first-team debut, which added to the fact that he was the second player of the institution to sign a professional contract.
And if that wasn’t enough, Azcona made history for the Dominican Republic, as he became the first player from his country in MLS history, being part of the 55 percent of foreign athletes participating in the U.S. league, that is, 77 foreigners.
“I have to say, I think it was a great moment for the Club, for the board and for the Academy…. I think in my first press conference they even talked about how important it is for Inter Miami to produce its own players, that is, players that we produce, players that we train, and I thought it was a great moment,” said coach Phil Neville.
It should be recalled that the Dominican, who played for his country in the last Concacaf Pre-Olympic in Guadalajara, is also eligible to represent the United States, even being called to play for this country, rejecting it in the first instance.