TRANSFER TRACKER: Signing
The well-traveled MLS journey of Brek Shea will continue, as expansion side Inter Miami CF announced the signing of the free-agent midfielder on Thursday.
Shea, 30, most recently played for Atlanta United, where his 2019 season was cut short by a torn ACL. He was originally reported in February by SBI Soccer to be signing with Miami's USL affiliate. According to Miami's release, Shea has been rehabbing the injury at the Inter Miami CF Training Center and is fully healthy and ready to play.
The move provides head coach Diego Alonso with a versatile and experienced player, as Shea can play either on the wing or at left back.
“Brek is a player who we know very well from previous MLS experiences that brings a lot of attacking threat and defensive solidity,” Inter Miami sporting director Paul McDonough said in Thursday's release. “He has been training and recovering from an injury, showing he is in his regular form and able to contribute to the first team.”
Shea was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas, where he spent five seasons, scoring 19 goals in 98 appearances before getting loaned overseas to Stoke City. He had his best MLS season for FCD in 2011, scoring 11 goals and dishing out 4 assists in 31 games. After additional stints on loan with Barnsley and Birmingham City, Shea returned to MLS in 2015, signing with Orlando City SC ahead of its first MLS season, tallying three goals in 46 games.
He was traded to the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2017 in exchange for Giles Barnes, where he scored seven goals in 53 games before signing with Atlanta United ahead of the 2019 season, appearing in 19 league matches and three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup fixtures before injuring his knee in a July match against the Seattle Sounders.
