Inter Miami: Roster moves papering over massive crack

Inter Miami are beginning to assemble the roster for their first season in MLS next year. But any moves that are made are papering over one massive crack: they still don’t have a head coach.

In any organisation, in any work of life, ensuring that every aspect is working in tandem with one another, all in the aim of achieving one goal, is a necessary achievement of management. It is very difficult for an organisation to be successful if different parts are pushing in different directions.

However, when a company is run in a manner that every part of it is unified, all pushing with the same trajectory, it can be extremely effective, enjoying great development and improvements.

In football, there are many examples of both sides of this coin: clubs that are enjoy terrific success because they are unified in their work; other clubs dismantling as a result of power struggles, differences of opinion, a lack of unity and togetherness.

While there are several different individuals that help instigate and implement a philosophy and identity, the primary figure is the head coach, the manager. As Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are proving in the Premier League, when clubs are unified behind a singular vision of a manager, they can be extremely successful, with every piece of the puzzle fitting in with every other piece.

Liverpool and Manchester City now have a clear identity, and every decision that they make is borne out of that identity. They do not sign a player if he does not fit with their vision. They only sell players who do not suit their style. Every single aspect of the club is fine-tuned to work in a specific manner, and it is Klopp and Guardiola that define it.

Inter Miami CF are preparing for their first season in Major League Soccer. They are beginning to make moves to fill out their roster. They conducted the Expansion Draft last week, they still have two Designated Player slots to play with, and they are beginning to form the structure of their roster and style.

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And yet, despite all of these moves being made, moves that are foundational to their inaugural MLS season, they still do not have a head coach, someone to lead the team forward with a clear purpose, vision and definition. Speaking after the Expansion Draft, managing owner Jorge Mas revealed that discussions have been taking place and an announcement would be made imminently.

But we are almost a week after the Expansion Draft and still no news has come on the head coach front. Mas stated of his admiration for recently fired Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino, though the Argentinian is not coming to MLS any time soon, while Marcelo Gallardo is still the frontrunner and it is possible that Inter Miami were waiting for Saturday’s Copa Libertadores to conclude. Gallardo has been superb with River Plate but may have wanted an announcement not to be made before his side’s critical final.

Whatever the cause for the delay is, Inter Miami need a head coach and they need one soon. The 2020 season is looming and the team needs an identity. While the roster moves are encouraging, then, the lack of a leader to mould them into shape is a major concern.