Another former Barcelona player is taking charge of the Herons following Tata Martino’s departure as manager of Inter Miami. Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi’s former teammate for Argentina and Barcelona is the new boss on the sidelines. Mascherano has been currently coaching Argentina’s U-23 team who he oversaw at the Olympic Games in Paris.
While experience isn’t always the most important factor in coaching, Argentina’s senior side manager Lionel Scaloni is a perfect example of that, Mascherano’s managerial experience has been a bumpy one so far. Overseeing a talented Argentina U-20 squad, Mascherano failed to qualify for the U-20 World Cup but made it after Argentina got hosting rights due to the tournament needing to be moved from Indonesia. Argentina then failed to advance past the round of 16 in that tournament on home soil.
During the Olympics, Argentina also disappointed by losing to France and failing to medal, but now he would need to improve a team who won the Supporters’ Shield, set a new MLS points record, and will also have numerous roster questions heading into the new season. It’s no secret that Messi holds immense power in Fort Lauderdale and Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas has doubled down on that.
“I spoke to Lionel on Saturday after he and Tata had spoken,” Mas said in his end of season presser. “I asked him, ‘What is important to you and what is important to get the best out of our roster and starting XI? How do we improve?’ Leo shared his thoughts with me. This is a very attractive position for a coach. We got it down to three final candidates by Tuesday. Familiarity with Leo and the other stars is an advantage in every aspect.”
Inter Miami might be repeating the mistakes of LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers
There’s no surprise that Messi’s respect is one of the most important things for an incoming head coach to have, but there is a balance between respecting star power and making decisions that are best or the team. It’s something that’s been seen clearly in American sports with the Los Angeles Lakers. When LeBron James joined in 2018 he was given immense sway in decisions that the organization made. The Lakers were rewarded with an NBA title in 2020 but it’s one that comes with, if not an asterisk, at least an explanatory footnote, since it came during the incredibly weird circumstances of the games being played inside the Disney COVID bubble.
If that championship led to more success, it’s something that would’ve signaled that they way the Lakers empowered LeBron was working, but instead, it has become more of an anomaly. Not only have the Lakers failed to win another Championship in the past four seasons, but they lost in the first round in two of those seasons failing to make the playoffs in another.
Heading into this season, the Lakers then delved into the LeBron extended basketball universe hiring his former podcast cohost and friend JJ Reddick to coach the team. It’s very much like what Barcelona is doing with a respected former pro and friend of Messi in Mascherano taking charge of the Herons but the similarities don’t stop there.
From being reliant on injury-prone players like Anthony Davis to bringing in players who didn’t fit the core like Russel Westbrook, the Lakers’ roster management has left much to be desired during the past few seasons. It’s something that could be changing after their strong start this year, (and that start also means the jury is still out on Reddick’s coaching ability), but they’ll have to prove that this time is different by advancing past top teams in the West. In a league with back-to-back matches having enough depth to win multiple games in a week is critical while still ensuring your team is fresh enough to be competitive when it matters in the playoffs.
The NBA season is a grind and in that way it has quite a lot in common with the Major League Soccer season which features extended travel, multiple matches in a week, and in-season tournaments. Miami has similar issues with their roster construction which were highlighted by their entire playoff journey going up in flames when Sergio Busquets went down with an injury and the midfield couldn’t cope. Being involved in the Club World Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup, the Leagues Cup and league play next season, the Herons will be faced with even more matches while sporting a squad that’s even older than this season’s was. Younger players who can contribute will need to be mixed in as will resting players at appropriate times.
Martino managed well without Messi during the regular season, but Federico Redondo didn’t prove to be a like for like midfielder as a Busquets replacement. Where Miami needs to ensure that they aren’t taking a page out of the Lakers’ book is that they aren’t collecting more of Messi’s aging friends to the detriment of maxing out the roster with personnel that give Messi the best chance to win. Mascherano alone is a risk as manager but it’s roster construction that will determine if this team can win an MLS Cup.
This is one area where Mascherano can help, having coached Argentina at the youth levels. There’s certainly a world where the Mascherano hire is a success, just as there’s a world where Reddick is. There’s a clear path from South America to MLS en route to Europe and that’s where Miami has a massive leg up on other teams in the league. Argentina has already built a training center in Florida and Messi is the best recruitment tool in the league. Leaning into that to get players who have room to grow or are in their prime is what Miami needs to do to ensure another season doesn’t end in disappointment like this one.