Can Inter Miami Win it All This Year?

After the success of winning the Supporters’ Shield with a record points total last year, the disappointment of not going on to claim the MLS Cup was a blow for Inter Miami. There was a real belief that the team would rectify that this season. With the All-Star game now coming up, it seems like the perfect time to evaluate Inter Miami’s performance so far.

With Lionel Messi being such a high-profile focal point for the team, it is not surprising that many of the sportsbooks profiled at sportsbettingsites.com think that this could be Inter Miami’s year. But with around 20 games played, Javier Mascherano’s side still has some work to do.

There have been other trophies on offer already this season – and more to come – so it will be interesting to see whether Inter Miami can begin to dominate the region, as many pundits believed would be the case when the greatest of all time joined the club in 2023. What can we expect from the months to come?

Messi Still the Key

As hugely talented as the rest of the Inter Miami roster is, it is universally acknowledged that whether the club lifts trophies or not is down to the continuing health and contribution of Lionel Messi. Inter Miami may have some of the greatest ever to play the game on the books but it is the Argentinian maestro who calls the shots.

The good news is that, at the moment, Messi’s fitness levels seem to be fine. There are no real injury concerns, and that has seen the Herons remain near the top of the rankings, even though other teams have played more games thanks to Inter Miami’s other commitments. It remains to be seen if the balancing act can continue to bear fruit.

Club World Cup

Adding even more games into the schedule might not be the best way to ensure Inter Miami has a good chance of winning the MLS Cup this year, but there is no doubt that the recent Club World Cup experience can be seen as positive for the team. The Herons were able to test themselves against some of the best – and largely came through intact.

Advancing from a group including a UEFA Champions League winner, one of the most successful African teams of all time, and one of the biggest Brazilian club sides credits Inter Miami and MLS in general. Losing to PSG may have shown the gap that still remains, but there is no shame in losing to the current champions of Europe.

Fixture Congestion

It has not only been the Club World Cup that has extended Inter Miami’s schedule this year. There has also been the deep run in the CONCACAF Champions League – which ended in the disappointment of losing out to a fellow MLS team. In an already long season, these extra games will undoubtedly take their toll.

What Inter Miami must do is to rotate the roster wisely to ensure that it still has the best chance of winning even without its top talent. This is not an easy task and there will also be the upcoming fixture congestion to deal with. It’s all very well celebrating the fact that the Herons are doing so well, even with games in hand, but those games will need to be won.

Rookie Coach

That selection balancing act is in the hands of Javier Mascherano, of course. He is a well-traveled, experienced, former player who won just about everything in his time. But he is still a rookie coach and Major League Soccer can be an unforgiving place for those who think winning here is easy.

It does seem as though Mascherano is on track at the current time. He would obviously like to rest Messi a little more but a spate of injuries has meant that the great one is playing more often. The result has been largely positive but the run-in to the playoffs will be the time when Mascherano’s coaching talents will really come under the microscope.

Second Half of the Season

With the Club World Cup and the All-Star Game both soon to be in the rear view mirror, the priority will be the league campaign – with a little Leagues Cup action thrown in. That second competition could take up the majority of August, if all goes well, but from September on, domestic soccer will be front and center.

Herons fans should be quite happy with the way the season has gone so far, especially considering the look of the rest of the schedule. Inter Miami will mostly play opponents currently in the bottom half of the Supporters’ Shield standings, with only a few tough games to really test the side in the coming months.

Glory Awaits

Everything is looking good for Inter Miami, as far as a potential trophy haul goes. There will be an expectation to repeat the Leagues Cup triumph of 2023, as well as a second consecutive Supporters’ Shield. Even if that second task is not accomplished, there will undoubtedly be playoff soccer again this year.

As Herons fans know only too well, anything can then happen in the postseason. No one really foresaw the loss to Atlanta United last year and it just went to prove that nothing is guaranteed in MLS – especially when the playoffs come around. That being said, if Mascherano can juggle his roster wisely – and Lionel Messi remains fit and healthy – Inter Miami could be in for a successful 2025. And that could include a first-ever MLS Cup win.