Major League Soccer is back, and for the first time ever, with 30 teams involved. There were plenty of intriguing storylines throughout the league’s opening weekend, from San Diego FC delivering a hammer blow to reigning MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy in their first-ever match, to San Jose Earthquakes thrashing Real Salt Lake 4-0 in California. However, perhaps the most amount of eyeballs were cast upon South Florida, as Inter Miami faced off against New York City FC.
Boasting a cohort of world-renowned stars, Inter Miami have enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years. They missed out on the playoffs in their first MLS campaign, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference, before finishing 11th in 2021. Despite suffering a mountain of sanctions for violating salary budget and roster guidelines, Miami were able to climb to sixth in 2022 and reach the playoffs, where they fell to New York City FC.
Miami suffered a dismal start to the 2023 campaign under Phil Neville, losing 13 of their first 18 matches and dropping to the bottom of the MLS table. However, their fortunes would change in mid-July following the arrival of Lionel Messi and Tata Martino. Messi immediately took to MLS like a duck to water by scoring 10 goals and 1 assist in his first seven matches as Miami reached the inaugural Leagues Cup Final, where they edged Nashville on penalties. However, they were unable to overcome their slow start and reach the postseason after finishing 14th in the Eastern Conference.
“It was a sprint at first and they hit the ground running and ended up winning the Leagues Cup right away, which took its toll on the group both physically and mentally, and they just couldn’t get over that hurdle” stated ex USMNT international Taylor Twellman.
“If they’re playing one game a week, they’d have made the playoffs, no doubt in my mind,” added Twellman, who commentates MLS matches for Apple TV. “I think the last-placed team makes the playoffs if the Leagues Cup isn’t part of that equation. I didn’t look at it as a failure – I was never going to judge Messi’s Inter Miami until 2024 when they actually had a full preseason.”
Bolstered by the arrival of Messi’s ex-Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez, Miami were able to take MLS by storm in 2024. They kicked off the season with a 2-0 victory against Real Salt Lake and were able to continue that momentum throughout the course of the campaign. No team scored more goals in MLS than Miami (79), with Messi and Suárez becoming the first pair of teammates in MLS history to score 20+ goals apiece. Miami racked up 74 points – the best regular-season record in MLS history – and consequently won the Supporters’ Shield.
However, there were also worrying signs. Miami only lost four regular season matches (in contrast to their 22 wins), but those losses would see them concede three goals to Atlanta and Montréal, four to New York Red Bulls, and six to Cincinnati. It became clear that, if the opposition could bypass Miami’s press, they’d suddenly have a 10 vs 8 advantage given the fact that both Messi and Suárez were reluctant to track back. For all of Miami’s individual firepower, they struggled to defend in transition and organize their backline when required. This lack of pace and athleticism would eventually prove fatal in a league played at full throttle.
Miami were drawn against Atlanta United, who had only barely overcome CF Montréal on penalties to qualify for the Round of 16. They won the first leg on home soil, beating Atlanta 2-1 via goals from Suárez and Alba, and they looked to be cruising for a place in the Eastern Conference semifinals after grabbing the lead before halftime in Atlanta. Instead, the Five Stripes would level proceedings at the hour-mark before avoiding a penalty shootout thanks to Xande Silva’s 94th-minute winner. The tie went to a third leg, with Matías Rojas opening proceedings in the 17th minute for Miami, only for Jamal Thiaré to score twice in quick succession for the Five Stripes. Messi would level the scoring for the hosts in the 65th minute, but Bartosz Slisz would nevertheless find the back of the net to snatch an improbable victory for Atlanta. Just like that, one of the biggest choke jobs in MLS history was complete.
In the following three months, Miami have made quite a few changes. For one, Martino resigned due to personal reasons, with Javier Mascherano – a former teammate of Messi, Alba, Suárez and Busquets – taking the reins as the club’s new manager. There have also been several changes to the club’s squad. As usual, Miami have reinforced their squad with a number of South American players – Argentines Rocco Ríos Novo, Tadeo Allende and Gonzalo Luján have joined from Lanús, Celta de Vigo, and San Lorenzo, respectively, whilst Uruguayan defender Maximiliano Falcón arrived from Chilean giants Colo-Colo. Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia made the move from Portuguese side Casa Pia, whilst Haitian winger and MLS veteran Fafà Picault arrived on a free transfer from Vancouver Whitecaps.
As far as outgoings are concerned, Miami allowed Lawson Sunderland and Matías Rojas to depart on free transfers in addition to selling Leonardo Campana, Facundo Farías and Emerson Rodríguez to New England Revolution, Estudiantes and Ludogorets, whilst CJ dos Santos and Franco Negri departed for San Diego. However, the biggest departure was none other than Diego Gómez.
Having joined Miami in the summer of 2023, the Paraguayan emerged as a vital cog under Martino, capable of filling a multitude of different roles in midfield and attack. A complete profile, Gómez is a persistent runner who is skilled at testing the goalkeeper with powerful efforts and putting in an outstretched leg to win the ball back. He made a name for himself as one of the top talents in MLS and even became a starter for the national team, prompting the attention of various clubs around Europe. 18 months after landing in South Florida for a reported €2.7 million, Gómez joined Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion for £14 million.
“Diego has something which is fundamental – mental focus,” stated Diego Gavilán, who became the first Paraguayan to play and score in the Premier League. “He is a very serious player who has the physical ability to play in three to four positions, but it doesn’t matter where you put him, he can find the back of the net,” added Gavilán. “Diego had an impressive growth at a professional level, establishing a place in an Inter Miami team alongside Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba. He can adapt to whatever position, but if they play him as an interior, he can end up surprising many of us. Diego has the ability, quality, and mental strength to quickly adapt to the Premier League.”
Between Gómez’s departure and Mascherano’s arrival, many weren’t sure what to expect with Miami’s new season. After all, Mascherano’s sole coaching experience had come with the Argentina youth teams. His biggest test arrived this previous summer, when the Albiceleste crashed out of the Olympic Games at the quarterfinal stage after losing to eventual runners-up France. At 40 years of age, Mascherano was going to be coaching club football for the first time.
Last Wednesday, Inter Miami played their first official match in 102 days. They braved a frosty night in Missouri and faced off against Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of the opening round of the Concacaf Champions Cup. The sole goal of the match came just before the hour-mark, when Busquets teed up Messi with a lofted pass, with Messi collecting the ball onto his chest before dribbling past a sea of blue shirts and firing into the bottom left corner. It was a reminder that, even if he’s approaching 38 years of age, he’s still one of the best players in football.
Next, it was time for the MLS opener. Miami broke the deadlock early on as Messi put it on a platter for his compatriot Tomás Áviles to convert from close range. However, just 20 minutes later, Alonso Martínez turned Miami’s defenders inside out and forced Áviles into bringing him down just outside the box, with New York City FC converting from the resulting free kick. New York would take the lead in the 55th minute as a calamitous back pass from Alba found its way towards Martínez, who converted into the back of the net. They looked headed for a victory until the 10th minute of extra time, as Messi cut through New York’s backline and found Segovia, who deftly chipped in the equalizer.
After narrowly surviving with a draw against New York, Miami completed their biggest test yet under Mascherano by defending their 1-0 advantage in South Florida and advancing past Sporting Kansas City to book their ticket to the next round of the Concacaf Champions Cup, with goals from Messi, Allende and Suárez seeing them prevail 3-1 in the second leg. Next up, it’s off to Texas, where they will take on the Houston Dynamo on Sunday.
