Defenders

Defender #18

Palacios previously played for Miami for the 2021 and 2022 USL Championship seasons. Following his South Florida campaign, Palacios went to Union Omaha in USL League One where he won the regular season with the team.

Midfielder #34

*Academy Contract

Marco Santana signed an Academy Contract with the Miami FC First Team in the middle of the 2024 USL Championship season. He was a part of the Miami FC USL Academy before signing the Academy Contract.

Defender #15

Mujeeb Murana was picked up by Miami FC from Birmingham Legion in the middle of the 2024 USL Championship season. Prior to playing for Birmingham, Murana was playing for Houston Dynamo 2 in the MLS Next Pro for two seasons.

Defender #30

*Academy Contract

Chris Jean-Francois signed an Academy Contract with the Miami FC First Team in 2024. The 18-year-old was a part of the Miami FC USL Academy before signing the Academy Contract. Jean-Francois has also been called up to the Haiti U-20 National Team.

Defender #2

The 20-year-old from Brazil joins Miami from SC Internacional U20 ahead of the 2024 season. Aniz was with the club for the 2022 and 2023 seasons where he competed in Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior (Copina) and CBF Brasileiro U20. In 2023, he assisted the team in making the Brasileiro U20 playoffs where they reached the quarterfinals. Throughout his youth career, Aniz won the Campeonato Gaúcho Sub-20 in 2022 and Campeonato Baiano Sub-20 in 2021.

Defender #29

After playing for Las Vegas Lights FC for the 2023 season, Mitrano signs with Miami FC to continue his USL Championship campaign. The defender had 27 appearances for LV, including one in the U.S. Open Cup. Prior to moving to the States, Mitrano played for Monagas SC in Venezuela’s Liga FUTVE Apertura in 2022. In 2020, he signed with CA Boston River to play in Uruguay’s Primera División Apertura.

Defender #13

Knutson will be making his USL Championship debut with Miami after five seasons in League One. In League One, he played for both South Georgia Tormenta FC and Union Omaha, where he won the title with the latter. During his stint with Omaha, they made it to the Quarterfinals of the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, further than any League One club has advanced. He also was a member of the inaugural Tormenta FC squad in 2019.

Defender #4

The 24-year-old defender signs with Miami ahead of the 2024 season after two seasons for USL League One’s Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. With the Red Wolves, Cardona had 54 appearances and scored four goals. Prior, the defender played for USL Championship’s Hartford Athletic for the 2021 season. Cardona has ten appearances for the Puerto Rican National Team, he made his debut on January 9, 2021, at 21 years old.

Defender #3

The 22-year-old Ghana native joins Miami FC ahead of the 2024 season after playing the 2023 season with Las Vegas Lights FC. Ayimbila originally made his USL Championship debut in 2022 while on loan from Accra Lions FC of the Ghana Premier League. He spent the season with San Antonio FC, who went on to win the title that year. Previously, the defender played for Selangor FC in the Malaysia Premier League.