SI Soccer
·20 November 2024
SI Soccer
·20 November 2024
Gerardo 'Tata' Martino's time at MLS side Inter Miami was rather short with just one-and-a-half seasons at the helm, he still had some memorable wins in charge of the Herons.
Martino's decision to step down from his Miami post due to "personal reasons" stunned the soccer world after he achieved the greatest single season in MLS history but ultimately came up short in the MLS Cup playoffs. Although Miami was expected to achieve more in the postseason, Martino will always be able to say he was the first manager to guide Miami to silverware.
Here are Martino's five best wins from his time in south Florida with the Herons.
Miami thumped Atlanta United at home in Leagues Cup action / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Miami showed that it meant business in its second group stage game in Leagues Cup 2023 against Martino's former MLS team, Atlanta United. The Herons were relentless in front of goal, punishing the Five Stripes for the space they allowed Lionel Messi to have. Messi's first-half brace lifted Miami to a dominant win at home en route to winning tournament later on in the year.
Miami took down the MLS champions at home without Messi / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
On the surface, Miami's 2–1 regular season win over Columbus Crew might seem like just another win for Martino in MLS action.However, it was much more than that. Martino was without the likes of Messi, Luis Suárez, Matías Rojas as well as Tomás Avilés in defense. Still, Miami found a way under Martino to get the job done against the reigning MLS Cup champions that proved to be important later on in the campaign.
Miami completed a historic comeback win over New England Revolution / Rich Storry-Imagn Images
The Herons signed off on the 2024 MLS season with a bang at home vs. New England Revolution. Despite going 2–0 down in the first half, Miami rallied back through Suárez's brace late in the first 45. In the second half, Messi stepped up to score his first-ever MLS hat trick to help Miami achieve the greatest regular season in MLS history with 74 points from 34 matches in the 6–2 victory.
Inter Miami were crowned Leagues Cup champions in 2023 / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Miami managed to lift its first-ever trophy in the form of the Leagues Cup title on the road at Nashville SC in August 2023.Messi opened the scoring with a stunning strike at GEODIS Park before Fabrice 'Fafa' Picault leveled the scoring in the second half. Miami's goalkeeper Drake Callender came up huge during the penalty shootout and scored the winning attempt to secure Miami's first piece of silverware in club history.
Miami clinched the Supporters' Shield title with a win against the Crew / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Crew were one of the few MLS teams to give Miami problems ever since Martino and Messi's arrivals in south Florida. Columbus did its best to deny Miami from lifting the 2024 Supporters' Shield title on its own turf, but it was unsuccessful in the end.Messi managed a first-half brace that included a curling free kick to put Miami in the driver's seat. The Crew managed to make the game interesting late on but Callender saved a Cucho Hernández penalty kick in the last minutes of the match, lifting Miami to a 3–2 away win as Martino delivered the second title in team history.
View publisher imprintfeed