Inter Miami name Alonso as head coach for inaugural MLS season

WASHINGTON - Just over two months out from their first MLS match, David Beckham's Inter Miami have named Uruguay native Diego Alonso as head coach for the inaugural campaign, the club announced on Monday.

The 44-year-old, who has won the Concacaf Champions League with both Pachuca and Monterrey, vowed to bring an attacking mindset to the new MLS franchise.

"I'm very excited," Alonso said. "I know this league very well. I know the challenge. It's an ambitious and a winning project. That's what I'm all about."

Alonso will begin work immediately ahead of his team's MLS debut on March 1 at Los Angeles FC. The first home clash will be on March 14 against the LA Galaxy at the refurbished Lockhart stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

"We knew we would find a coach that matches our aspirations of trying to be successful right out of the gate," Inter Miami sporting director Paul McDonough said.

"What we really like about him is that he's coached at big clubs and he's won at big tournaments. He's won at all different levels throughout South America."

Alonso began his coaching career in 2011 with his boyhood club Bella Vista. As a player, he represented Bella Vista, Gimnasia La Plata, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Racing Santander, Malaga, UNAM, Murcia, Club Nacional, Shanghai Shenhua and Penarol.

Former England captain Beckham unveiled plans for his own MLS franchise in 2014, exercising an option that was written into his contract with former team LA Galaxy.

Other partners include former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, Bolivian-American businessman Marcelo Claure, South Floridian investors Jorge and Jose Mas, and Japanese entrepreneur Masayoshi Son.