Could Inter Miami be about to part ways with one of its most impactful players? | OneFootball

I thought Drake Callender would finally make his 2025 debut for Inter Miami this week. Instead, he reportedly didn’t train with the team Wednesday morning after making the team sheet for the first time Sunday at Houston.

So, what does that mean? It could mean that Callender won’t be wearing the Pink & Black much longer.

Callender, 27, the last player from the Herons’ 2020 roster, earned the the team’s starting job before the 2022 season, when incumbent Nick Marsman missed the preseason with an injury. He’s facing Marsman’s fate in 2025; Argentine veteran and Lionel Messi pal Oscar Ustari, 38, started four of five preseason friendlies and all four competitive matches while Callender recovered from an adductor injury suffered in U.S. Men’s National Team camp in January.

Oscar Ustari | Leonardo Fernandez/GettyImages

Ustari has played well. He hasn’t allowed any howlers and he has shown confidence with the ball at his feet and with his passing — Callender struggles with those skills. The younger keeper excels at shot-blocking, still the top priority at the position, but Ustari is far more suited to the “sweeper keeper” role first-year coach Javier Mascherano seems to prefer. His experience, game instincts and technical skills provide greater support for the defensive back line and lets the Herons commit to a higher, more aggressive press.

Commenting on Inter Miami’s goalkeeper situation during Sunday’s match at Houston (a comfortable 4-1 Herons’ win), broadcaster Taylor Twellman said Callender would be an attractive target for some teams.

"Often times, you've got to stay with the hot hand in goal," Twellman said of Ustari’s early performances. “But that's going to get very interesting, because there are about three or four teams that would make a call to Miami in a blink of an eye if Drake Callender is available."