Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino is out as manager of Inter Miami. His resignation has sent shockwaves throughout Major League Soccer, raising the question: What’s next for the club? For Martino, he leaves having made an impact, establishing a strong record and righting the ship, but ultimately falling short of the club’s true goals.
Inter Miami’s 2024 season was a dream that quickly went bad. A record-setting 74-point regular season was spoiled by a first-round exit in the MLS Cup Playoffs, a severely disappointing result for what was the favorite to win it all. The club then faced another blow when manager Gerardo Martino announced his resignation for “personal reasons,” a surprise decision that few if any saw coming.
Statistically, Martino’s tenure was a success: 35 wins, 16 losses, and 16 draws across nearly one-and-a-half seasons. He joined Miami in the middle of a disastrous campaign, with the club foundering at the bottom of the MLS table. Just over a month after his first game, he brought the franchise its first trophy at the 2023 Leagues Cup. The next season, he returned to achieve the best points total in league history, despite having to do so largely without his star player Lionel Messi, who missed significant time due to injuries and national team commitments.
Under Martino’s guidance, the club also sold Paraguayan winger Diego Gomez to English Premier League side Brighton for a reported $14 million, plus an additional $3 million in add-ons, further cementing Martino’s reputation for developing players for bigger stages.
However, Martino’s time at Inter Miami will be viewed as incomplete. While the numbers are impressive, they fail to tell the whole story. Despite the positive statistics, Martino’s side often underachieved when it mattered most, and this did not sit well with the Inter Miami brass, according to a Bolavip Mexico report.
Where Did Martino Get It Wrong at Inter Miami?
After the 2023 season, marked by the Messi explosion and key signings aimed at delivering an MLS Cup, no team spent more on their roster than Inter Miami. The club used creative tactics around the MLS salary cap to build a stacked squad, featuring world-class players near the end of their careers, bright young talents from South America, and a few key MLS contributors. An MLS Cup seemed like a foregone conclusion. Still, cracks began to show early for the team.
The club’s 2024 campaign began with disappointing results during a world tour that did little for Inter Miami’s brand, but demonstrated that thousands of fans were willing to watch Messi sit on the bench. The results were concerning from the start, with defeats to Al Hilal (4-3), Al Nassr (6-0, minus Cristiano Ronaldo), and even FC Dallas. The team’s defensive weaknesses were evident, with Tomás Avilés still very much a work in progress. Goalkeeper Drake Callender also had an up-and-down season, making world-class saves but prone to major blunders.
Almost from the start, Miami’s Achilles’ heel was its defense and inability to consistently close down spaces. Unfortunately, Martino often relied on the offense to bail out the team’s defensive mistakes. Making matters worse, co-captain DeAndre Yedlin was forced to leave early on in the season due to salary cap restrictions.
While not perfect, Yedlin brought leadership and experience to the back line — qualities sorely missing throughout the season. Neither Marcelo Weigandt nor David Martínez stepped up, playing at best at a mid-to-below-average level and sometimes performing worse than their American or non-South American counterparts.
The defensive issues became glaring during Inter Miami’s first major miss of the season: the CONCACAF Champions Cup. After defeating Nashville 5-3 on aggregate in the Round of 16, Inter Miami faced Monterrey in the quarterfinals, where they were outplayed 5-2 across two legs.
A fatigued Inter Miami entered the MLS regular season already eliminated from an international tournament, but found some rhythm domestically. After a bumpy start in March and April, the team began to take shape, winning five consecutive matches and going undefeated in 10 games.
Luis Suárez turned back the clock, as did Jordi Alba, who added attacking flair. However, warning signs remained, as the team still conceded soft goals. Inter Miami recorded just seven shutouts during the season, and gave up two or more goals in 12 matches.
Statistically, the team was strong: Suárez ended the regular season with 25 goals across all competitions, and Messi, despite missing nearly half the season, had 23. The duo carried much of the offensive load, with Julian Gressel also contributing 10 assists.
The consistency throughout the regular season led to a record 74 points and the Supporters’ Shield, but the club continued to struggle in tournament play after the Champions Cup exit.
Miami didn’t get a chance to compete for a U.S. Open Cup, with MLS excluding most of its clubs from the competition, and their Leagues Cup title defense was underwhelming.
A shaky win against Puebla, a loss to Tigres, and a wild 4-3 victory over Toronto FC highlighted the team’s defensive vulnerabilities. The club’s tenure in the competition ended with a 3-2 defeat to the Columbus Crew in the Round of 16, far from the tournament’s final stages.
By August, the MLS Cup was the only major target left, and Martino had ample time to adjust the squad — which was constrained by salary cap issues — to prepare for the playoffs. Martino’s experience in navigating the MLS Cup Playoffs was expected to be crucial, as he had won the MLS Cup with Atlanta United in 2018.
Ironically, it was Atlanta United that bested Inter Miami in the best-of-three first round. Miami took home a tight 2-1 victory in game one, but games two and three were shockers. Inter Miami’s defense was sloppy and conceded a late goal in the second game, and the rubber match saw Brad Guzan deliver a remarkable goalkeeping performance, helping Atlanta secure the series win. Miami’s playoff run ended after just three games, a major blow to MLS, who lost its most valuable asset early in the postseason.
On paper, Martino can boast of hitting many key milestones, but for MLS experts, Inter Miami ultimately fell short in critical moments and was unable to replicate the magic of their 2023 Leagues Cup triumph.
Where Does Inter Miami Go from Here?
With 11 players set to have expiring contracts, Inter Miami could find some flexibility to upgrade their shaky defense. It will be crucial for the team to bring in experienced and capable defenders, especially as players like Messi and Suárez will be less inclined to track back at this stage in their careers.
A coach capable of managing strong personalities and maintaining credibility with Messi will be key. The first name thrown into the mix was Xavi, who would continue the Barcelona connection displayed throughout the club. However, it’s another former Messi teammate, Javier Mascherano, that seems to be the favorite to succeed Martino’s place at the helm of the club.
Mascherano is just four years removed from his playing days, and is relatively green when it comes to managerial experience. Three years as Argentina’s youth national team head coach isn’t quite a lengthy resume, and if he’s officially named, he’ll have to be a quick study.
Whoever Miami hires, one thing is certain: There is little room for error. With Messi expected to stay for at least one more season, the club will need to make “win-now” roster decisions again rather than build for the future.
As for Tata, it’s another dream job that ended with him hitting a wall — close, but not close enough.
