Not even Lionel Messi can help Inter Miami climb out of the hole they find themselves in. Winless in their last five outings across all competitions, the Herons announced they are parting ways with head coach Guillermo Hoyos. Losing another pathway to the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup certainly didn’t help, either. Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez is taking over the job, but his arrival will take a bit longer.
“Inter Miami CF announced today that it has reached an agreement with Cristian Alberto “Kily” Gonzalez to become the club’s new first feam head coach,” Inter Miami’s official announcement read. “Gonzalez will officially assume his duties once he receives the corresponding work permits.”
Although this means Hoyos’ tenure at the helm of Inter Miami has come to an end, the club cleared the air regarding his exit. “Guillermo Hoyos will provisionally continue in charge of the team until the arrival of the new head coach and his coaching staff,” the club stated.
However, Hoyos has officially received a one-match ban by MLS, so he won’t be available next Saturday, August 29, when the Herons host Montreal in a game corresponding to the 2026 MLS season. It remains to be seen whether it will be Hoyos’ last game as head coach, or whether Gonzalez’s arrival delays longer.
Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez during a game.
Another Argentine in Miami
Gonzalez’s arrival extends extend a long-standing tradition for Inter Miami. “Kily” is the fifth straight Argentine manager to take over the reins in Miami. In fact, since Messi arrived in South Beach, he’s only been coached by fellow countrymen.
From Javier Morales, who lasted a little over a month between June and July 2023 (didn’t coach Messi), to Gerardo “Tata” Martino, Javier Mascherano, and Hoyos, Inter Miami have been under the guidance of an Argentine head coach for a while now. With Gonzalez becoming Hoyos’ successor, the streak will only continue.
Gonzalez’s background
Martino is a product of Newell’s Old Boys, the same club Messi played for at a very young age during his childhood in Rosario, and coached Messi at Barcelona and with Argentina’s national team. Mascherano played alongside Messi for a very long time, both at Barça and with La Albiceleste.
Born in Rosario as well, Gonzalez is a product of the other major soccer club in town, Rosario Central, whose soccer philosophy is starkly opposed to Newell’s and the one Messi and Martino shared.
However, Gonzalez happens to be a huge admirer of Marcelo Bielsa, widely regarded as the best coach in Newell’s Old Boys’ history (their stadium is named after him), and source of inspiration for a generation of coaches, including Martino.
Gonzalez and Messi’s friendship
Despite their clubs’ rivalry, Gonzalez and Messi share a long-standing friendship that dates back to their time together with the national team in the early-to-mid 2000s. Time and again, “Kily” has voiced his praise and admiration for Messi, even though he was a veteran on Argentina’s team when Messi was taking his first steps. “Messi shows that the best of all time is the most humble,” Gonzalez said years ago about the Argentine magician.
In fact, such is the relationship between them that back in 2022, when Messi returned to his home in Rosario after winning the World Cup, he was greeted by a crowd inside the gated community where him and his family live when he’s back in Argentina. Among the rambunctious crowd was Gonzalez, who was there with a friend who lived in the same neighborhood. Despite the euphoric scenes, Messi, joined by Angel Di Maria, spotted Gonzalez among the sea of people and stopped to hug him.
“It was all so spontaneous and natural that the hug [Messi and Di Maria] gave me and the affection they showed me was something everyone in the soccer world would have wanted to experience, and I was one of the first to get it,” Gonzalez said about that moment, via TyC Sports. “Then I laughed because they were saying, ‘Kily welcomed Messi and Di Maria’. People were calling me from everywhere, and I didn’t welcome anyone. It was all natural.“
Gonzalez’s head-coaching track record
Gonzalez had his first coaching experience with his boyhood club, Rosario Central, in the top flight of Argentine soccer. He never managed to find his footing and was fired after roughly two years following a deflating derby loss against Newell’s Old Boys.
Gonzalez would go on to be hired by Union, also in Argentina’s top division. He saved the team from relegation in 2023 and clinched an international cup berth in 2024. However, he announced his departure in April 2025 due to poor results. Gonzalez’s last stint was with Platense, also in Argentina’s top division. He lasted a little over four months before he was asked to step aside.
As Gonzalez takes over Inter Miami, it will be curious to see how him and Messi get along and what product the Herons put out on the pitch. Maybe the shootout-type games in which Inter Miami appeared to dismiss playing defense will be long gone. Only time will tell.
Hoyos’ numbers as head coach in Miami
According to Transfermarkt, Hoyos has coached Inter Miami in 17 games, including the 2026 MLS season and Leagues Cup. Hoyos’ Herons got off to a hot start, going 8-1-1 (W-T-L) in their first 10 games.
However, Inter have gone 1-2-4 since, including a disappointing early exit from the Leagues Cup. All signs indicate Hoyos’ days in the 305 are numbered, and Gonzalez is reportedly taking over.
