Some soccer clubs have short peaks of success, others maintain dominance over a long period, even if they aren’t always winning trophies.
We are about to find out which category Inter Miami falls into.
The Herons already look a very different team to the one that won the MLS Cup in 2025, with the early weeks of the 2026 season best described as ‘patchy’.
A lot has changed for them of course. A new stadium without a win, a squad missing the likes of Busquets and Jordi Alba, with Suarez taking a reduced role, a new goalkeeper who has not had the best start, and now Javier Mascherano has unexpectedly quit as head coach, too.
These things combined create a problem for Inter Miami. They are entering a new phase, clearly, and the transition looks difficult. The question is, will they come out the other end rebuilt and just as strong, or did they peak early, never to find the same level of success again?
The Honeymoon Period is Over
Inter Miami’s rise to the top of MLS was meticulously planned, and built on a very specific model. Buy elite, experienced, international players looking for one last hurrah, and use them to promote the club off the pitch and gain immediate success on it.
At the centre of that was Lionel Messi of course, and it worked. They are probably the most famous club in Major League Soccer, and they have now won every trophy apart from the U.S. Open Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
But the issue is obvious. Players at the end of their careers will inevitably retire. So if your success is built on them, everything else falls down when they leave. They chose instant impact over gradual growth, and now the honeymoon period is ending, cracks are beginning to show.
The drop off has not been dramatic so far, but there is a noticeable difference. With Javier Mascherano suddenly packing his bags early on in the season, it seems like there are issues behind the scenes as well. Rumour has it that he and Messi were clashing heads, but whatever the reason, it suggests deeper issues exist.
Unsettled and Lacking Identity
For the last few seasons, Inter Miami dictated matches and imposed their own rhythm.
Their identity was that of an attacking side. They outscored their opponents, but had little defensive identity. In fact, this has always been a weak point for Inter. However, it didn’t matter so much because everything around it was settled and their attacking play was fluid enough to compensate.
This season, with the departure of a few key creative players and the forward line struggling to find the net, it’s a real problem. Messi is still scoring, but Allende is not having the same joy he had last season, and new man Germán Berterame has had a slow start with just one goal in 7 games. The attack is simply not as cohesive, and they look much less threatening without Alba overlapping on the left.
What’s more, the back line is arguably worse in 2026 than it was in 2025. There’s no Jordi Alba for a start, and Dayne St. Clair doesn’t look quite the same player he did at Minnesota – although you could definitely make a case for his defence letting him down rather than it being any fault of his own.
The back four often look erratic, get caught out of position, and struggle to cope with the pace of opposition forwards. They are really missing the added security of Busquets ahead of them. Combined with a misfiring forward line, it’s a recipe for disaster.
Then there is Mascherano. Well, there was Mascherano. When a head coach leaves it is incredibly disruptive, when a team that already looks unsettled loses their head coach – especially under these circumstances – anything can happen.
Even the new stadium, which should represent and celebrate the start of a new era is another element that brings uncertainty. Neither the players or the fans are settled there yet, and since they drew both games played at the Nu Stadium so far, it probably doesn’t exactly feel like a fortress.
But at least they still have Messi, right?
Life After Messi for Miami?
Besides everything else, Inter Miami are still built around Lionel Messi. He is their talisman, and he is contracted until the end of 2028.
But.
Messi is 39 years old in June of this year. Is he really going to play until he’s half way through his 41st year? Even if he does, can he realistically maintain his form and fitness until then?
He might be the GOAT, but his body ages like everyone else’s. And form deteriorates faster the older you get.
With Suarez almost certainly gone at the end of this season, Messi will be the only remaining player from that cohort of ‘buy experience for quick results’ players, and he will be pushing 40.
The players around him are not as settled or confident as they were last season, and the sense of dominance is already weakening. Are we already seeing a glimpse of what life after Messi looks like for Inter Miami? Or is this just a blip as the club transition from that first phase to the next?
The next few home games against New England Revolution and Orlando City will be telling – the team’s first home games without Mascherano in charge, but they will only give us an indication of the state of affairs short term.
The more important question is whether Inter Miami are capable of building something sustainable, or if they were a one trick pony who peaked too soon.
Right now, Inter Miami is a team caught between two identities, two eras, and their decisions over the next two seasons will shape their long term future.