Sport
Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino leaves club after playoff failure
Martino was brought in ahead of the arrival of compatriot Lionel Messi and led the team to an MLS record points total in the 2024 regular season.
Inter Miami has reportedly parted ways with head coach Tata Martino after the team fell at the first hurdle in the MLS Cup playoffs, losing in the first round to underwhelming Atlanta United.
GiveMeSport reports that Martino decided to leave the club due to “personal reasons” just over a year after arriving in South Florida.
Martino joined the team in the summer of 2023 to work alongside Lionel Messi and the rest of the ex-Barcelona quartet. The Argentine coach led the team to a famous Leagues Cup victory within two months of taking charge and his team cruised to the Supporters' Shield title this season. However, his team's inability to advance in the postseason this year was a major shock.
Was 2024 a bust for Inter Miami?
For most teams, achieving the points record in one season would be enough to make any campaign a success. But for Inter Miami – given their enormous financial outlay and their short window to capitalize on it – there was a sense that the playoffs really mattered. Martino said this recently during a press conference after the loss in Atlanta.
“It's not a successful season if you get knocked out in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals,” Martino admitted. “There were good things, there were bad things. If you look at where we were last November, it is clear that the club has made progress, not just the team. But based on our expectations for the playoffs, we fell far short.”
“We got used to achieving the goals we set for ourselves in the last part of the year, but the most important one got away from us,” he continued.
Martino has previously managed Barcelona and the Argentina national team, in addition to a number of roles at major clubs in South America. It is not yet clear whether the 61-year-old will look for another job elsewhere or will take some time away from the game.
