Can Inter Miami be a great MLS team?
The Herons have assembled arguably the greatest collection of talent in MLS history with only modest results.
Inter Miami CF has invested heavily in recruiting and retaining players from Barcelona’s great teams of the 20-teens. From left, midfielder Sergio Busquets, defender Jordi Alba, coach (former Barcelona defender) Javier Mascherano, midfielder Lionel Messi, and striker Luis Suarez. CREDIT: Inter Miami CF
Inter Miami isn’t a great team. Tuesday, Los Garzas were awful. Playing the first of three straight home matches against teams they should beat, and still chasing the Supporters’ Shield and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, the Herons lost 3-5 to the Chicago Fire.
Watching that match, I couldn’t help wondering why the Herons could have so much talent and play so poorly. For a team of world-class performers, we see very few world-class team performances.
“Don’t believe the hype.”
— Public Enemy
Four Herons are World Cup winners: Lionel Messi and Rodrigo DePaul (Argentina 2022) and Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets (Spain 2012). Alba, Busquets, Messi, Luis Suarez and Miami coach Javier Mascherano all excelled with Barcelona in the 20-teens when Barça was arguably the best club team ever.
On paper, Miami has the greatest collection of talent ever assembled by an MLS side; unfortunately for the Pink & Black, matches aren’t played on paper.
Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami is massively ambitious; it captured the soccer world’s attention in 2023 when it recruited first Messi, Busquets and Alba to South Florida with more than a little help from MLS and its corporate partners. Suarez came in 2024, and Mascherano and De Paul this year.
The experiment started well, with Messi leading the Herons to the inaugural Leagues Cup championship in 2023. They had a record-setting 2024, earning the Supporters’ Shield for posting the best-ever regular season point total (74).
But managing owner Jorge Mas predicted Miami and its Barça “Big Four” would reap multiple trophies each season; that hasn’t happened.
Some possible reasons why:
Unrealistic expectations
The Barça Boys made their reputations at Barcelona in the Twenty-aughts and Twenty-teens, when Les Blaugranas were winning four European championships. Messi was 18 when Barcelona won the first of those titles in 2006; he was 27 when it won the fourth, in 2015. More than a decade ago. It should be remembered that the “Big Four” rose to prominence alongside two of the best-ever midfielders, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.
Despite their generational talent, high intelligence and years of experience, it’s unrealistic to think they can recreate the magic of a decade or more ago.
Flawed roster construction
Where are the journeymen in Miami’s lineup? Stars dominate the headlines, but the reliable warriors still young and fit enough to compete physically but old and experienced enough to read the game and adapt to any situation. Fafà Picault fits that description, but he doesn’t see much of the pitch in Mascherano’s scheme. Julian Gressel and Robert Taylor were key contributors in 2024, but they were traded to free up salary space.
Since Chris Henderson left for Atlanta United, it’s been unclear who’s making personnel decisions or what the team’s plan is for the future. One rumor claims Messi’s father is calling the shots, and it is true that Messi has outsized influence on the front office — that happens when you’re the most recognizable, most marketable, most talented player ever to play the game. But do eight Balon d’Ors give the G.O.A.T. special insight into building a balanced, cohesive and talented roster?
Inexperienced coaching
Mascherano is 41 and a good friend and former teammate of several of his players. This is his first year coaching any club team after several years coaching in Argentina’s youth system (with mediocre results). It is widely accepted Messi got him the job.
But I think blaming Mascherano is a cop out; he’s made a lot of mistakes, but he has shown growth. I think he’s an intelligent, passionate coach, and he relates well to both the young Argentine players on the squad and his high-profile veterans. And, remember, the much-more-experienced and highly regarded Gerard “Tata” Martino managed to win just one tournament in a season and a half leading the Herons.
I want to see Mascherano get another season to apply what he’s learned.
Poor chemistry
Good attacks seem to flow, each player trusting the other to make the right run, to make the right pass, to know when to dummy or back-heel the ball without disrupting the play.
Miami doesn’t have that relationship; Messi, Alba and Suarez too often play like older brothers frustrated by having to play with younger, less talented, less experienced brothers. They TRY to get the kids involved and show their disappointment — or disgust — when the youngsters can’t make the play.
This is why journeymen are important in any locker room: more experience, better game instincts, fewer gaffes…. The journeymen are “glue” guys, buffers between the stars and youngsters.
Exhaustion
This is probably a better explanation than any yet listed; the Herons have played 54 matches in 2025, thanks to runs in the CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and Leagues Cup tournaments. That’s a lot of matches for any team, but especially for a team whose key players all are in their mid- to late-30s. Mascherano’s reluctance to sit his stars contributes to the problem. To win the MLS Cup, Miami will have to play at least nine more matches, totaling more than 60 contests in one season.
What next?
Not much can be done in the short time remaining this season, but moving forward I’d like the club to be more transparent about who’s making personnel decisions and what the team’s mid- and long-range plans are to realize its aspirations.
Busquets has announced his retirement, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Suarez follow suit. De Paul needs to be more impactful than he’s shown so far to justify inheriting Busi’s DP slot and salary, and I think he’ll be fine working with Yannick Bright in the defensive midfield. During the offseason, focus on reliable mid-level players to give the squad better balance.
Mascherano must learn to better rotate his squad to hopefully reduce injuries, keep legs fresh and game fit, and get all his players meaningful minutes so they have confidence — and their teammates have confidence in them — when the games matter most.
I’m sure I’m missing something obvious, but this rant has gone on long enough.
#UpThePink!