Kily Gonzalez faces a challenge no Inter Miami coach has cleared with Messi: 100 games at the helm

Inter Miami officially announced Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez as its new head coach on Thursday, tasking him with steadying a club built around Lionel Messi that has struggled to find lasting stability on the sideline.

“Inter Miami CF announces it has reached an agreement with Cristian Alberto ‘Kily’ Gonzalez to become the new head coach of the First Team. Gonzalez will officially take up his duties once he receives the corresponding work permits,” the club said in an official statement.

Gonzalez inherits a job that has quietly become one of the toughest in MLS to hold onto, regardless of who’s on the roster. Since the franchise’s founding, no coach has managed to stay in charge for 100 official matches.

The Argentine coach could make his debut as soon as Saturday against Atlanta United, taking charge of a team currently sitting second in the Eastern Conference with 42 points, 10 behind leader Nashville SC.

After that match, Miami is scheduled to face Chicago Fire and Nashville before a high-stakes Campeones Cup final against Cruz Azul on September 18. The month will close out with a pair of MLS fixtures, visiting San Diego on September 21 and Columbus Crew on September 28, giving Gonzalez an immediate run of matches to make his mark and attempt to become the first coach since 2020 to break Miami’s coaching curse.

Every Inter Miami head coach and how long they lasted

Inter Miami has now had seven different head coaches since entering MLS in 2020, and not one has reached the 100-match mark. Diego Alonso was the club’s inaugural coach, lasting 24 games, followed by interim Javier Morales with just 7. Phil Neville holds the club record with 90 matches between 2021 and 2023, the closest anyone has come to triple digits.

Since Messi’s arrival, Gerardo “Tata” Martino and Javier Mascherano each coached exactly 67 matches despite delivering the club’s first trophies, while Guillermo Hoyos managed 18 games on an interim basis before making way for Gonzalez.

More than half of those coaches had Messi on their roster during a period of significant growth for the franchise, underscoring just how demanding the job has been regardless of the talent on hand.