The club has had a heck of an offseason as it prepares for its first full campaign spearheaded by the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner
Imagine being told 12 months ago that Lionel Messi would sign with Inter Miami, and that he wouldn't come alone. No, one of the greatest players of all time, if not the greatest, would bring his friends, too; reuniting a group of Barcelona all-stars to form the greatest super-team MLS has ever seen.
Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba arrived in Florida last summer, and in the past few weeks, Luis Suarez has followed. Add in legitimate MLS talent like Julian Gressel and DeAndre Yedlin, as well as future stars in Benja Cremaschi, Facundo Farias and Tomas Aviles? It would have been an insane thought, and yet it's a reality.
Despite all that, it feels like this is only a taste of Inter Miami's ambition, and their preseason plans prove it. Inter Miami will spend the final months of winter jet-setting all over the world, building their brand while showcasing the GOAT in their line-up. The Herons want to do more than just dominate MLS; they want to become the first true American superpower since the New York Cosmos' heyday.
So that brings us to this question: As Inter Miami gears up for the first full season of this new era, what's next for the club on the path to world domination?
@InterMiamiCFSuarez headlines offseason…
You've all seen the news by now, as Miami's Barca boys have brought in another long-time friend. Suarez has arrived in Miami, bringing with him one of the greatest resumes the sport has ever seen. There have been few better strikers than the Uruguayan, and although his best days are behind him, he's clearly relishing the chance to play alongside his former teammates one more time.
Despite injuries slowing him down a bit, Suarez can still be lethal in front of goal. He scored 29 goals across 54 appearances for Gremio, and finished as second-top scorer in the Brazilian top-flight in 2023, proving that he still can shine at a decent level. With an old friend like Messi teeing him up, it's easy to see how Suarez could score boatloads of goals at the top of this Inter Miami attack.
“The best word we players have to have is to dream: dreaming big. To dream is to want to win,” Suarez said. “Why not dream of winning the four titles?"
AdvertisementGetty Images…But he's not the only new arrival
Suarez is a huge signing, no doubt, but he isn't the only big piece that has been added to the Miami roster this winter.
Fresh off an MLS Cup win with the Columbus Crew, Julian Gressel has brought his talents to South Beach, reuniting him with Tata Martino, his manager back at Atlanta United. For those that don't know Gressel's game, he is an elite crosser of the ball, one of the best MLS has ever seen. His ability to pick out a pass and cover at several positions will make him a huge asset to an Inter Miami team that just got a bit more dangerous.
There are still holes, namely at centerback follow the departure of Canada international Kamal Miller. But reports say that that hole will be plugged soon by the arrival of Argentine centerback Nicolas Freire on loan from Pumas.
Overall, the team is as deep and well-constructed as any in MLS as they march into a busy preseason.
Another big swing coming?
Social media, understandably, got a big excited by a recent photo of Neymar, the third member of the famed MSN trio at Barcelona, photographed alongside an Inter Miami shirt. Could he be next? Could Messi really bring one more of his greatest teammates with him to South Florida?
Don't get too excited; the answer is: probably not! The club has pushed the salary cap to its very limits, making another big swing very, very unlikely. The Suarez move seems like the last mega-signing for now as there's simply no real way to fit a player like Neymar, Antoine Griezmann, Luka Modric, Phillipe Coutinho or one of the dozens of other stars linked to the club in without another domino falling first.
Instead, Miami now has to fine-tune. The signing of Freire is an example of that; a shrewd, low-risk depth signing. That's what Miami is most concerned about currently: depth. They have the stars, but they need the players behind them to help provide a bit of energy across four competitions this season. In addition to MLS, they'll feature in the U.S. Open Cup, Leagues Cup and, most notably, the CONCACAF Champions League, which kicks off on March 7.
But while it doesn't seem the club has any more big moves in them before the summer, if there's one thing we've learned, it's that you can never say never when it comes to Inter Miami.
Getty ImagesState of the squad
In general, there's no MLS team that can match the talent that Inter Miami possess. Their starting XI is too good, too talented and too experienced.
With Suarez leading the line and Messi to his right, the club can lean on either youngster Farias or Robert Taylor, last season's breakout star, to play off the left. The midfield will be anchored by Busquets, who can be joined by some combination of Gressel, Cremaschi and Gregore. In defense, Alba will be on the left side, with Yedlin on the right and Aviles partnering veteran Serhiy Kryvtsov in front of USMNT goalkeeper option Drake Callendar.
For depth, the club can lean on Leonardo Campana, who has hit double-digit goals in each of his two MLS seasons so far. Veteran Jean Mota and youngsters Edson Azcona, Diego Gomez and David Ruiz add numbers to the midfield, while Franco Negti and Christopher McVey are serviceable in defense.
There aren't really many question marks in this squad, aside from centerback depth. Should this group remain healthy, and should the Barca boys play at the level many expect of them, they'll be hard to stop.