According to various reports, Inter Miami and head coach Tata Martino are splitting up after the team's spectacular exit from the 2024 MLS Playoffs. Martino is allegedly leaving for "personal reasons." Martino guided the Herons towards the 2024 Supporters' Shield championship and the MLS points record during the regular season.
Having joined Miami in the summer of 2023, Martino had arrived at the same period as Lionel Messi. He was successful with the team right away, winning the first-ever 2023 Leagues Cup. In addition to signing Messi, Martino assisted in the acquisition of Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, and Jordi Alba, as well as the development of up-and-coming adolescent talents David Ruiz, Diego Gomez, and Benjamin Cremaschi.
The Argentine, who had previously worked with FC Barcelona in Spain as well as the Argentina national team, was nominated for 2024 MLS Coach of the Year alongside Miami and is among the most successful managers in the sport. He guided Atlanta United, another MLS team, to the 2018 MLS Cup.
During the course of the regular season, Martino guided Inter Miami's offense to an MLS-high 79 goals, assisting both Lionel Messi as well as Luis Suarez in scoring at least 20 goals and earning MLS MVP nominations. It is now expected that the Herons and the co-owner David Beckham would search for their next regular head coach over the offseason.
“We fell way short” : Gerard ‘Tata’ Martino
Reaching the single-season points mark would be sufficient for the majority of clubs to have a successful campaign. However, given their significant financial investment and limited window of opportunity, Inter Miami felt that the playoffs remained the most important thing. During a news conference following the Atlanta United defeat, Martino recently stated as much.
Martino had previously said this month, “It’s not a successful season when you’re knocked out in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. There were good things, there were bad things. If you look at where we were last November, clearly the club has made progress, not just the team. But based on our playoff expectations, we fell way short.”