Can Inter Miami Cope with Diego Gómez’s Departure?

We are just days away from the start of Inter Miami’s 2025 season, and it’s safe to say that the expectations are building. Last year, Inter Miami enjoyed the best regular season in MLS history, racking up a league-record 74 points and finishing as the top-scoring team in MLS with 79 goals. And whilst they were eliminated in the first round by Atlanta United, they did manage to announce themselves on the North American soccer scene by winning the Supporters’ Shield.

From that record-breaking season, there are quite a few names that have stayed put in South Florida. Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has remained, as well as his former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez. So too have other key figures like Drake Callender, Tomás Áviles, and Julian Gressel.

However, there have also been quite a few sizable departures, perhaps none more noteworthy than Diego Gómez. The Paraguayan midfielder joined Inter Miami in July 2023 for a reported fee of €2.7 million and emerged as a key figure under Tata Martino. After a difficult start, Gómez was able to adjust to life in the United States and fulfill a number of different roles from replacing Messi to playing on the left side of attack. Whether deployed in a double pivot or as an attacking midfielder, Gómez’s impressive shooting ability and selfless work rate proved vital for the Herons. He was never afraid to do the dirty work and provide a much-needed dose of physicality and dynamism, capable of sprinting from box to box and helping out on defense whilst also chipping in with dynamic runs into the final third.

“Diego has something which is fundamental – mental focus,” stated ex Paraguay international Diego Gavilán. He is a very serious player who has the physical ability to play in 3-4 positions, but it doesn’t matter where you put him, he can find the back of the net. He’s played as an inside midfielder with the national team as well as a right-sided midfielder, a left-sided midfielder and even as a false 9 and a second striker.”

Gómez’s stellar displays for Miami have seen him become a key figure for the Paraguay national team, starting in five of their last six matches, and they also attracted interest from a number of clubs across Europe. Ultimately, though, it was English side Brighton & Hove Albion who won the race for him, paying €13 million for the 21-year-old midfielder. 18 months after arriving in MLS, Gómez is now plying his trade in the best league in the world. He has become the 12th Paraguayan to play in the Premier League; after playing his first match in European football on January 19 vs. Manchester United, Gómez came on at halftime in their 7-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, before coming on for the final 26 minutes of their 2-1 win vs. Chelsea in the FA Cup.

“While he’s a quiet guy, he’s very lively on the pitch,” stated Gavilán, who became the first Paraguayan to play in the Premier League after joining Newcastle in 2000. “He’s 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 has matured, grown, and still maintains a high level of football. He can adapt to whatever position, but if they play him as an interior, he can end up surprising many of us. He has the ability, quality, and mental strength to quickly adapt to the Premier League.”

Miami’s front office has been hard at work trying to rebuild after Gómez’s departure, signing Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia from Portuguese outfit Casa Pia, whilst they’ve also brought in two wingers – Tadeo Allende on loan from Spanish side Celta de Vigo as well as MLS veteran Fafà Picault from Vancouver Whitecaps. However, they may be inclined to add more reinforcements and bulk up their squad ahead of the transfer deadline on April 23, as they look to crown themselves as the kings of the United States and win their first-ever MLS Cup.

Inter Miami will officially kick off the Javier Mascherano era on February 18 as they travel to Sporting Kansas City in the Concacaf Champions Cup, before commencing the 2025 MLS campaign on February 22 with a home match against New York City FC.

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