Messi, new-look InterMiami hope to build on opening friendly

Inter Miami kicked off their preseason tour on Saturday, with the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners facing off against Mexican powerhouse América in a friendly in Las Vegas. Despite falling behind on two occasions, the Herons were able to secure a 2-2 draw thanks to a goal from Lionel Messi and a last-second equalizer from Tomás Avilés, before edging América 3-2 on penalties.

It was Inter Miami’s first match since November 9, when they were sent packing from the MLS Playoffs by Atlanta United. Inter Miami will play six more preseason matches before finally commencing their 2025 campaign on February 18 against Sporting Kansas City in the Concacaf Champions Cup. But what exactly can Inter Miami fans expect from their team for the upcoming campaign? Let’s dive deep.

Since beginning their MLS journey in 2020, Inter Miami have acquired a number of high-profile stars like Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuaín, but their biggest coup came in the summer of 2023 when they signed eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, widely considered to be the greatest soccer player of all time. Over the next few weeks, Messi would work his magic with an Inter Miami side that found itself amongst the worst teams in MLS. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner quickly adjusted to life in North America and helped them win the 2023 Leagues Cup, their first trophy in the club’s history. And whilst they failed to reach the playoffs, the signs were certainly promising for the short-term future.

Linking up with former Barcelona teammates Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets as well as former Barcelona coach Tata Martino, Messi and co. were able to take the league by storm in 2024. They finished the regular season with a whopping 74 points from 34 matches – the highest point tally in MLS history – and scored 79 goals in the process. After beating Atlanta United 2-1 in the first leg of the Round of 16 and taking an early lead in the second leg, they looked to be cruising to their first-ever quarterfinal berth. Instead, however, Derrick Williams would level proceedings at the hour-mark, whilst Xande Silva’s last-second winner would force a winner-takes-all third leg, where Atlanta beat the odds by pulling off a 3-2 win in Southern Florida.

“Miami could not defend in transition,” said former USMNT international Taylor Twellman. “This is a league built on athleticism, that’s played at a high pace and played in transition more often than not…you knew that if they didn’t have possession, they were going to struggle. They didn’t have a great understanding in defense and I think that falls on manager Tata Martino. It certainly wasn’t a personnel issue: 10 years from now, we’re going to be talking about them in the top 2-3 rosters ever in the history of MLS.”

Since that heartbreaking defeat, plenty has changed at Inter Miami. Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gómez has joined Premier League side Brighton for €13 million, whilst other key figures like Leonardo Campana and Sergiy Kryvtsov have also parted ways. In terms of incomings, Miami have brought in several Argentine players like Celta de Vigo winger Tadeo Allende, Lanús goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo, and San Lorenzo defender Gonzalo Luján. They’ve also acquired Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia from Casa Pia, and brought in Haitian winger Fafà Picault from Vancouver Whitecaps – who has scored 56 goals and 26 assists in 224 MLS appearances.

However, perhaps the biggest change has come at the managerial position: Tata Martino, a man who coached Messi at Barcelona and Argentina, stepped down due to personal reasons after their playoff defeat. He’s been replaced by Javier Mascherano, who played alongside Messi at Barcelona and Argentina and who also played with Busquets, Suárez and Alba at Barcelona. 

“The only way I’d have been 100% convinced that Martino would be back with Miami in 2025 is if they won the MLS Cup,” said Twellman. “The moment they lost to Atlanta, everyone realized he wasn’t returning. Part of the reason why I love Tata is because he’s a stubborn old man who’s going to do it one way – his way – but that ended up biting him.”

When Martino began his coaching career in 1998, Mascherano hadn’t even made his professional debut as a footballer yet. At 40 years of age, Mascherano’s sole coaching experience has come with Argentina’s U-20 and U-23 teams, with his first major test coming in the summer as his Argentina side were sent packing in the quarterfinals of the Summer Olympics.

Mascherano has big shoes to fill as he looks to replace his compatriot in the wake of their record-breaking campaign, and Miami’s front office will certainly be looking to upgrade his roster and ensure that it can compete on all fronts. Can Mascherano guide Inter Miami to the promised land and lead them to an inaugural MLS Cup?

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