Inter Miami's pressing questions after a painful Concacaf Champions Cup ouster

New York Times

02-05-2025

In the days after Lionel Messi was first introduced as an Inter Miami player, and before he made his memorable debut against Cruz Azul, club owner Jorge Mas was asked what would constitute a success in the Messi Era of Miami and MLS.
'We're successful,' he said. 'We've succeeded. Expectations are something else, but we've succeeded. The fact that Lionel Messi is here, that Sergio Busquets is here, that others are going to come here, that we're opening new chapters for the sport in this country, we've succeeded.'
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Mas was right, of course. That Messi signed in MLS was a massive win for the league, and Messi's presence playing for Inter Miami will never be measured solely by on-field results. The commercial impact has been beyond even the highest expectations, with Miami selling out stadiums across the league and setting attendance records in multiple markets. Miami's revenues ballooned to record levels. Messi's pink shirt was Adidas's top-selling jersey in any sport, MLS commissioner Don Garber said last year. The Argentine legend's presence has also influenced discussions at the board level about how MLS will move forward into its next phase of growth.
Ultimately, though, Messi's MLS legacy will be framed by one thing: how many trophies does he lift in that pink shirt he made so famous?
That's what made Wednesday night's 3-1 dismantling by the Vancouver Whitecaps in Fort Lauderdale so painful. The Whitecaps' win was the exclamation point on a 5-1 aggregate thrashing in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. It was the second consecutive defeat in an elimination series at home for Miami, which was stunned last year by Atlanta United in the MLS Cup playoffs.
'You have to accept that they were better,' Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. 'They were much better than us. It's for that that they are in the final and we aren't.'
Messi and Co. have now had a chance to win seven trophies in his two-plus years in MLS, forgiving the 2023 MLS Cup that was a longshot considering Miami's last-place standing when the World Cup winner arrived. They have won just two of those trophies: the 2023 Leagues Cup and 2024 Supporters' Shield. Respectively, there are two prizes that supersede the others: the MLS Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup. So far, Messi and Miami are 0-for-3 in those competitions.
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It is easy after a loss to fall into the trap of hyperbole, that Miami should be in panic mode. Let's not forget that Miami has still lost just one game in MLS play this season.
Mascherano, who played more than 90 games for Liverpool, had north of 200 appearances for Barcelona and was capped 147 times by Argentina, has seen it all before and acknowledged the task ahead.
'When we started the season and went so many games without losing, we didn't go crazy or think we were something extraordinary,' Mascherano said. 'Quite the opposite. I've always said we have to be prepared for when the bad times come. And well, now we're in bad times and we have to live with this. It's very easy to live with the good times. The issue now is to get out of the bad times, and surely to get out of bad times we have to give it our all. We have to give it our all. We know we have to do more, that this isn't enough for us.'
This team, in all likelihood, will challenge for another Supporters' Shield and for MLS Cup. But they are also starting to look their age — which is unsurprising considering the history of MLS teams that have struggled to stay at their best after navigating through the gauntlet of Champions Cup and MLS games to start the season. For a team built around four stars at the tail end of their careers, the task to rebound from the brutal grind to start the season is even tougher, and Miami will have the added stressor of competing in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
The Vancouver series exposed some real issues that Inter Miami is going to have to figure out for the rest of 2025 – and if Messi re-signs in MLS, as expected, into 2026 and beyond.
It shouldn't be surprising that Miami looks, at times, like a team still trying to find itself.
In many ways, it is.
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Miami had a turbulent offseason. Inter changed coaches. Tata Martino stepped away, and Mascherano was hired. The front office went through a significant makeover, too — more than once. Sporting director Chris Henderson went to Atlanta. Then Raul Sanllehi, president of football operations, moved out of a day-to-day sporting role in January. Longtime Messi ally Guillermo Hoyos was named sporting director, and, in April, Alberto Marrero was hired as chief soccer officer.
More than a dozen players from last year's roster are gone. Eight new players, including four who started against Vancouver, arrived. Miami is playing a different style than it did in 2024, opting for what often resembles a 4-2-3-1 in possession.
The makeover isn't finished yet.
At the close of the window, Miami traded Robert Taylor and waived Julian Gressel. That opened up two senior roster spots for the club to add pieces in the summer window. Miami had more than $3 million in allocation money when the league last published figures in March. It then signed Baltasar Rodríguez and Allen Obando on loan, which ate into that reserve, and also traded for international spots. But the Taylor trade to Austin FC brought in more money, and clearing Gressel's million-dollar cap number created space, too.
Miami is going to add pieces in the summer.
Where will it look to fortify the roster? Vancouver was able to slow Miami's attack in part by overloading central spaces and forcing Miami wide. Inter could try to target a left winger that brings pace and verticality to the attack. That might ease some of the attacking demand on Messi and Luis Suárez, who has now gone nine consecutive games — all starts — without a goal for Miami.
Center back has been another problem area. Maxi Falcón had a solid start to the MLS season, but struggled against Vancouver. With David Martínez and Toto Avilés on the bench, Miami has options. Would it add another?
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Some of these problems could be helped by allowing Miami to continue to work into Mascherano's system and give the new faces time to continue to develop. Rodríguez, the 21-year-old attacking midfielder signed in March, has yet to play. Giving this team a bit more time will help some of these problems.
The bigger questions await in 2026.
As The Athletic reported last month, Inter Miami is nearing a contract extension for its primary superstar. Keeping Messi in town for another few years ensures that Messi will be there to open the club's new stadium next season.
It also opens up some questions about what that means for the roster.
Jordi Alba, Busquets and Suárez are all out of contract at the end of the season. Busquets and Alba take up two of Miami's three designated player spots. The question isn't just whether Miami brings all three former Barcelona stars back; it's also about at what cost?
All of these conversations are sensitive. These are four legends of the game. They have always been seen as a sort of package deal with Messi. But there is an argument to be made that Messi would get a boost from having a younger or in-prime player that could help take this Miami team to the next level. Imagine, for example, an Inter Miami team with Cucho Hernández starting up top.
So what does Miami do?
Alba, 36, has been very good for Miami. He was an MLS Best XI player last season, with four goals and 14 assists, and carried the load at times in 2024. Miami certainly gives something up in allowing Alba to venture forward as much as he does, but the former Spain captain is still productive. He converted to a DP deal in 2025 and it's a safe assumption that if he renews it'll be under similar terms, especially since he played the first year and a half in Miami on a $1.2 million base salary.
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Busquets is a tougher call. The Spanish midfielder will turn 37 this summer, and in a league in which DPs are hopefully helping you score goals, Miami will have to consider whether it can afford to have Busquets occupy a DP slot. If he returned on a TAM deal, it'd be far more appropriate – and, crucially, it would allow Miami to go out and spend big on a player.
Suárez is another conundrum. That he's been able to produce so much despite his age and knee issues is remarkable. He had 20 goals and nine assists last season, but that production has dropped off this year. He has just one goal in eight league starts so far this season. As Messi's closest friend on the roster, this is a complicated decision — and ultimately it may be Suárez's call more than Miami's — but there's no doubt Miami should at least be considering whether it can add a younger, high-end striker to the team whether or not Suárez comes back.
Miami opening its stadium in 2026 with Messi in the lineup was a must. Adding another star designated player to the team would be the right step to keep the team moving forward.