Afonso Signs First-Team Contract with Inter Miami
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Inter Miami CF announced today (April 2) that it has signed former Virginia men’s soccer captain and Inter Miami Academy product, Leo Afonso, to a first team contract running through the 2024 Major League Soccer season with club options for 2025, 2026 and 2027. Afonso joins former Virginia teammate Aidan O’Connor as the second Cavalier to sign a first team contract in 2024 after O’Connor inked a deal with New York Red Bulls running through the current season with options from 2025-27.
O’Connor was one of three Cavaliers selected in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft picked 12th overall by the Red Bulls. Afonso was selected 32nd overall by Inter Miami after playing in the team’s academy since 2019. Both players were named as substitutes in a meeting between their respective teams on March 23, a 4-0 win for Red Bulls that featured Afonso’s MLS debut for Inter Miami.
“I’m excited to officially sign my First Team contract and start an exciting new chapter in my career with this great Club. I’ve dreamed of this moment since I started here in 2019 and got a glimpse of this in our inaugural preseason. I always knew I wanted to come back and now we’re making that dream a reality. I’m ready to give my all for Inter Miami on and off the field,” said Afonso.
From the @InterMiamiAcad ➡️ first team, the dream continues for Leo Afonso ✍️
We’ve signed academy product and MLS SuperDraft 2024 pick, Leo Afonso through the 2024 season.
🗞️ More details here: https://t.co/vyjVqZyNf7 pic.twitter.com/Mpxg4LIfBF
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) April 2, 2024
“Leo is a promising attacker that we have known for a long time, and he earned his spot on the First Team through his performances with Inter Miami CF II, and in his two previous MLS appearances with the team while on short-term agreements,” said Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson. “We’re proud of the progress he has made since first joining our Academy in 2019, and we’re excited to sign him to the First Team as the next step in his journey with the Club. We look forward to further fostering his development within our system.”