Will Javier Mascherano soon become Inter Miami CF’s next head coach?
Reports asserted as much Friday morning, shortly before Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino announced he’s departing Inter Miami due to personal reasons.
And while managing owner Jorge Mas avoided specifics in Friday’s ensuing media availability, he didn’t squash the Mascherano links either.
“I am not going to discuss names, nor confirm or deny one individual or another,” Mas said, speaking alongside president of football operations Raúl Sanllehí.
“What I will confirm is that we are very near the end of the process. We will be announcing a new coach for Inter Miami in the upcoming days.”
Messi connection
If Mascherano takes over, it would be the 40-year-old’s first club coaching gig. He’s worked extensively with Argentina’s youth program, overseeing their 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2024 Summer Olympics teams.
Perhaps most importantly, Mascherano has deep connections to the Herons’ superstars: For much of his nearly two-decade-long playing career, he was Lionel Messi’s teammate at FC Barcelona and with Argentina. At Barça, he also played alongside Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez.
That background might transcend the usual boxes MLS teams look to check when filling a coach opening.
“Having MLS experience – again, I’ve looked at all the statistics, history, et cetera – obviously having MLS experience is good,” Mas said. “I don’t think it’s the main criteria. What’s more important for me is the club’s footballing formation. It’s how they manage the squad with unlimited potential because we still haven’t seen the best version of Inter Miami.”
Lofty ambitions
Whoever arrives inherits a squad with sky-high expectations. Inter Miami won two titles during Martino’s year-and-a-half tenure – Leagues Cup 2023 and the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield. They also set the league’s single-season points record this year (74).
But Inter Miami want more, and Mas said their “attacking style” won’t change.
“We’re going to score goals, we’re going to push,” Mas said. “This is a team that’s not going to sit back and wait for pressure and play for 0-0, 1-0 results with the talent we have.”
The next coach will also need to navigate a jam-packed schedule, international call-ups, injuries and the normal array of MLS challenges – something Martino did to great effect in 2024. It helped massively that Martino was accustomed to MLS, having previously led Atlanta United from 2017-18 (including to the MLS Cup 2018 title).
Mascherano wouldn’t bring that same expertise. Yet the Messi connection looms large as Inter Miami retool for 2025, when they'll play Concacaf Champions Cup and FIFA Club World Cup games alongside their MLS slate.
“This is an extremely attractive position for a coach,” Mas said. “… Again, we’ll announce a coach in the next few days.”
