After a disappointing 2024 for Inter Miami CF that ended with the MLS Playoffs elimination against Atlanta United, the team underwent major squad changes. Gerardo Martino left his position as head coach, paving the way for an old friend of Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano. Key players like the Paraguayan midfielder, Diego Gómez, were transferred, and interesting players such as the Argentine winger Tadeo Allende have arrived.
This year is full of challenges for the South Florida team. They returned to the Concacaf Champions Cup for a second year in a row, having played their opening match against Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday for the first leg of the Round 1, where Inter Miami took a 1-0 victory. They start their MLS season on Saturday, Feb, 22 against New York City FC at Chase Stadium, with kickoff now set at 7:30 p.m., instead of the original 2:30 p.m. time. Miami will also compete in the Leagues Cup which they will try to bring back home after their 2023 win. The biggest challenge, however, starts in June, when Inter Miami takes part in the newly expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, in which they will have the honor of playing the tournament’s inaugural game at the Hard Rock Stadium of Miami.
With a tight schedule featuring four major tournaments, can Inter Miami turn its star power into silverware or will 2025 be another season of unmet expectations?
New coach, new era
Mascherano’s appointment as head coach was surprising. This will be the first time the Argentine is in charge of a club team, as his only previous coaching experience has been with the Under 23 and Under 20 Argentina National Teams. In the three-year tenure as Argentina’s youth coach, his results were mixed. He won the L’Acúdia International Tournament, but he suffered early exits in all major tournaments, including eliminations from the 2023 South American U-20 Championship in the group stage and disappointing loss in the Round of 16 in the U-20 FIFA World Cup, which was played in home soli. His U-23 team also fell to France in the Quarter Finals of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Despite his underwhelming results, Mascherano had one key supporter, Messi. No.10 played a major role when appointing the new coach, believing he was the right fit for the job. “I had a specific conversation with him. Leo gave me what I asked him, which was input,” Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas told reporters during a press conference. “That was Leo’s involvement and engagement with me, which (happens), frankly, all the time.”
In the year and a half when Martino was in charge, Inter Miami consistently played with a 4-3-3 formation, featuring four defenders, three midfielders and three attackers. Mascherano will keep the same formation and philosophy, emphasizing possession as the main tool to attack.
“How do we take the initiative? By keeping possession, but not just for the sake of it — our goal is to attack,” Mascherano said in an interview with the Argentine newspaper Olé last year. “It’s not about having the ball just so the opponent doesn’t; we need to use it to create danger, play in the opponent’s half, and when we lose it, try to win it back as quickly as possible.”
With the new additions and defined style of play, the squad blends four world-class veterans -– Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets — with young players who can bring the pace Mascherano demands.
“I’d say we have the players to fight in every tournament we play and to compete at the highest level. Our goal is to win,” The attacking midfielder Santiago Morales said in a recent interview with the journalist Gonzalo Cardozo in his YouTube channel.
Mascherano has the greatest test of his young coaching career. Coaching Messi is a challenge by its own, but his biggest test lies in making the right adjustments. Since he began coaching, Mascherano has consistently struggled with substitutions, often making the changes too late or completely improvised.
With Inter Miami playing four major tournaments this year, it is an obligation for Mascherano to give rest to the players, without losing focus on the games. If Mascherano can improve his decision making, Inter Miami will develop a clear playstyle, Messi will be comfortable and healthy throughout the year, and the team can sustain the same intensity for a full 90 minutes each week.
The strengths
Since Messi and Alba joined in July of 2023, followed by the arrival of Suárez in January 2024, Inter Miami became the most dangerous attack in the league, scoring 79 goals in the 2024 MLS regular season. The team averaged 2.32 goals per game, something unthinkable for a team that managed just 44 goals in all of 2023. With the 2024 MVP Messi still shining, Suárez matching his 21-goals from last season, and Allende bringing the much-needed pace and energy upfront, it is safe to say that the attacking three of the Herons remains their biggest strength.
With Mascherano’s tactics, the system addresses one of Inter Miami’s biggest weaknesses in 2024 — lack of pressing in the attacking line. With both Messi and Suárez almost at 38-years-old, pressing is not their best quality. Now, Mascherano is shaping a team with young players with high-pace, allowing Messi and Suárez to conserve energy for the whole game. Squad depth is also playing a huge role, with players such as Morales, Fafa Picault or Benjamin Cremaschi on the bench, the team has enough depth to maintain the same intensity throughout the 90 minutes.
A huge advantage of having a coach with academy experience is the appreciation. Mascherano has shown a clear commitment to developing academy players. In the pre-season, Mascherano ensured the 18-year-old attacking midfielder, Morales, received playing time in each game. Morales made his debut with the team this year under Mascherano’s orders, who also gave more minutes to young players like Leo Afonso, Ian Fray, and Rocco Ríos Novo.
The weaknesses
Inter Miami’s defensive instability in 2024 was one of the team’s biggest weaknesses, conceding too many goals despite their offensive firepower. A major issue was inconsistency in goal, where Drake Callender struggled with form, and the defense lacked a reliable last line of protection. The absence of a commanding presence at the back became even more evident after Nicolás Freire, one of the team’s strongest center-backs, suffered a season-ending injury just two months into the campaign. His performances in that short span provided stability, but once he was sidelined, Miami’s backline never fully recovered. Heading into 2025, Mascherano has decided to make a change in goal, with Oscar Ustari emerging as a strong candidate to take over as the new starter.
To address last season’s defensive struggles, Mascherano also has experimented with different center-back options, making some unconventional choices.
One of his biggest adjustments has been deploying Argentine left-back Gonzalo Luján as a center-back, a position he did not excel in during his time at San Lorenzo. Mascherano has also tested Noah Allen, who played as a center-back under Martino in 2024, and young Argentine defender Tomás Avilés. However, Luján appears to be his preferred choice so far. While Mascherano seems confident in this setup, the most impactful defensive addition is likely to be Uruguayan center-back Maximiliano Falcón. Unlike Luján, who struggled in 2024, Falcón brings proven quality and physicality from Colo-Colo to a backline in desperate need of leadership.
Inter Miami analyst José Armando has some serious doubts about the defense after the 2-2 tie against Orlando City during the preseason. ”Defensively, Inter Miami didn’t look good at all,” said Armando on the Youtube podcast Miami Total Futbol. In the same podcast, analyst Andrea Yanez had similar thoughts about the defense. “The defense keeps being the weakest point of this team. Mascherano has an idea, he doesn’t want to change his tactical plan, but the defensive weaknesses remain,” said Yanez.
Inter Miami’s squad depth appears to be solid, even if the overall quality drops compared to the starting lineup. However, one of the biggest concerns heading into 2025 is the team’s ability to stay healthy. In 2024, Inter Miami suffered 12 injuries throughout the season, severely impacting their consistency and forcing key players to miss crucial games. Managing player fitness will be one of Mascherano’s toughest challenges, especially with the team competing in four tournaments.
One of the biggest concerns is in midfield, where Busquets has shown signs of slowing down and may no longer be able to handle the physical demands of a long season, or even a full game. Fortunately, Yannick Bright emerges as a viable replacement, offering fresh legs and defensive stability. In attack, Allende could be the perfect alternative to Suárez and may even challenge him for a starting role with his pace and dynamism. However, the biggest concern remains Messi’s lack of a true backup. While no one in the squad can replicate his influence, Morales could be a crucial piece if Messi is sidelined, bringing creativity and energy when needed.
Fans Expectations
Since the arrival of Messi, Suárez, and Busquets, Inter Miami has become one of the biggest attractions in MLS and beyond. The club has sold out season tickets for the second consecutive year, and demand for matches at Chase Stadium remains high. The upcoming FIFA Club World Cup opener at Hard Rock Stadium, where Inter Miami will face Al Ahly FC on June 14, is expected to draw an historic crowd, solidifying Miami’s place on the global stage.
However, recent reports indicate that Inter Miami is no longer the most in-demand team in MLS. According to StubHub, Columbus Crew have overtaken Miami in ticket sales, with the Crew experiencing an increase compared to last season. This is a surprise, considering that Columbus sold their best player, the Colombian Winger Juan “Cucho” Hernandez, to Real Betis.
Despite this, Inter Miami’s fanbase remains hopeful. Miami native Nicholas Santos, 21, has been a lifetime supporter of the club. Since high school, he has been going to every Inter Miami CF game at home.
“I’ve been with this team since the beginning, and seeing the stars we have now, it’s hard not to dream about winning the MLS Cup,” Santos said. “We’ve come so close; this has to be our year.”
The odds are in Nicholas’s favor. According to DraftKings, Inter Miami enters the 2025 MLS season as the favorites to win the MLS Cup, with odds set at +370. Their chanes stand well ahead of the second-best contender, LAFC, who are listed at +600.
