Noah Allen Gets Immediate Inter Miami Reunion: “It’s Literally One Week”

One week ago, Noah Allen was still an Inter Miami player. On Wednesday, he will be sharing the field with his hometown team, but in the colors of the Chicago Fire.

And while the fifth-ever meeting between Miami’s Lionel Messi and Chicago’s Robert Lewandowski will, by default, take all the pre-game headlines, Allen’s potential home debut with his new club adds a distinct subplot to one of the biggest fixtures of the MLS regular season.

“It’s definitely going to be interesting, but you just have to ignore everything and focus on this team now and how we can beat them,” Allen told MIR97 Media on Tuesday. “People will probably think maybe it’s emotional, but for me, it’s really not. It’s just about going out there and winning.”

“I couldn’t care less about what Inter Miami is doing right now. My full focus is winning this game and having a good, positive feeling, because winning games helps me integrate into the locker room and with the coaches.”

Allen, a native of Pembroke Pines, Florida, turned 22 earlier this year and is in his fifth season as a professional, having spent his whole career so far in Miami. Since making his debut in 2022 – ironically, against the Fire – he has seen his hometown team evolve from a struggling MLS newcomer to one of the league’s leading franchises loaded with some of the biggest names of the last two decades. With 132 games under his belt, Allen is Miami’s all-time leading appearance-maker, with Messi still 20 behind.

However, his time in South Florida came to an end last week. Allen had been among Gregg Berhalter’s priority targets this summer transfer window, with negotiations between Chicago and Miami dating back a few weeks; in a sequence of events that progressed very quickly on Tuesday afternoon, one day before the transfer deadline, an agreement was reached that would send Allen to the Fire, and the move was finally approved on Wednesday evening.

“It was definitely a bit difficult,” Allen said of the sudden move. “I have a lot of respect for everyone on that team. Obviously, I had been there since day one, so I saw it all build up from the ground up.”

“It’s been a crazy week, but I’m also a very serious player. I like to help the team with whatever is needed, and the best way to settle in and get along with the guys and the coaching staff is to work.”

“I’m happier every day that I’m coming in. I’m learning names and faces, meeting new people and getting the hang of things. Overall, it’s been a very good week. A lot has gone on, but I’m very focused.”

With the transfer finalized in a loan-to-buy, U-22 Initiative structure, Allen flew to Chicago late Wednesday night and had little time to process it all. By Thursday morning, he was already in full training with his new team, and by Saturday, after just two sessions, he was in the squad to face Toronto FC at BMO Field. Allen was introduced as a halftime substitute and was on the field for 52 minutes at center back in a chaotic 4-4 draw.

In a normal week, the Saturday night game would be followed by two days of light or no training. As the Fire are facing Miami on Wednesday, the schedule is made even tighter, adding some extra challenges for a young player moving between clubs professionally and leaving home for the first time in his career.

“When it happened on Tuesday, I started getting ready as soon as possible because I knew that they were going to want me in for training and to be ready for the game on the weekend against Toronto,” Allen said. “Like I said, I take things seriously, so I wasn’t going to fly over and ask for an extra day off to get adjusted. I knew that he was going to want me to train and be as fit as possible, so I did that.”

“I’ve also had time to walk around the city. Yesterday, I went on a bike ride along the whole shoreline, and that was very nice. I’ve had time to relax and think about everything, but at the same time, it’s a very busy period right now. We have a lot of games, and it’s crunch time. We’re getting toward the end of the season, the playoffs are coming, and we want to finish as high as possible in the standings. Winning games helps that.”

Allen was a top target for Berhalter not just because of his qualities, but because those qualities also fill important roster needs for a Fire team hoping to compete for the MLS Cup this fall. Though primarily a left back, the 22-year-old also adds tremendous value at left center back, a position he started in when Miami were crowned kings of MLS last December. It’s a spot that the Fire have struggled in since losing South African international Mbekezeli Mbokazi to a long-term injury in July.

After playing at center back in a back four at the weekend, his coach alluded to the fact that, for now, that may be where he can be helpful, even if it isn’t his main or preferred position, and that Allen could be one of the main storylines in the Miami game.

“We know that we do have depth there,” Berhalter said on Monday. “We know Noah can play center back, which he showed in the second half of the game. We brought him in for that reason, the versatility between playing left back and center back, which we think is important.”

“For him, I can imagine the game will be a little bit complicated. He spent a great time (in Miami), he was raised there, he won an MLS Cup there. So I can understand he has very strong feelings toward Inter Miami.”

“For us, it’s trying to get some information off of him. But it’s pretty clear what they do. They are a very good team and they have very good attacking players. They have a very good squad. So it’s really about just coming up with a game plan that we can contain some of what they do and really limit some of their danger.”

Though Allen’s résumé over the last few seasons undoubtedly makes him one of the more-proven MLS left backs right now, he’s moving from one star-studded title contender to another. Thus, there’s no assumption at all that he would walk right into the Fire’s starting lineup at left back, given that a red-hot Andrew Gutman is occupying that position and has been one of the league’s most in-form fullbacks this season.

However, given his MLS-proven quality and experience in big games and on big stages, Allen is an immediate reinforcement for a near-championship-ready team. He arrives as the only MLS Cup winner in the first team, but wants to help the rest of his new teammates join him in that distinction, no matter what role or position he has to play.

“I want to win,” Allen said. “This is just how my parents raised me: If the coach wants me to clean the protein shakers in the gym, and that’s all he wants me to do, but it helps the team win, I’m going to do it without complaining.”

“I’ve won in this league. I’ve seen what it’s like to win in this league, and I want to help do that here now because I feel like these players in the locker room and this organization deserve it.”

“Just from the week I’ve been here, seeing how nice everyone is and seeing everyone together and committed to the goal of winning a championship, I want to feed into that. I want to be part of that and do whatever I can to help make that happen.”

First and foremost, though, there’s a Soldier Field debut to play, and Allen is certainly expected to have a role when Miami comes to town in what promises to be a high-profile matchup viewed in countries around the globe.

Though marketed for months as “Messi vs. Lewandowski,” every player on the field has the opportunity to be a hero, and that includes the one who’s played alongside both of them in the last 10 days.

“It’s super quick,” Allen said. “I’m not going to lie and be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m not thinking about it at all.’ It’s literally one week.”

“But like I said, I’m a very focused and serious guy. I know I’ll see my friends afterward. I know I’ll speak to every teammate I had and the coaches over there, and I know I’ll be in touch with them too. It’s not like this is the last game I’ll see them.”

“It’s just a game we have to go out and win. That’s it.”