Tata vs. Hendo: Which mind will Miami miss most? | OneFootball

Gerardo Martino and Chris Henderson helped build Inter Miami into a worldwide soccer brand, melding global superstars like Lionel Messi, Louis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets with talented young homegrown players and up-and-coming South American stars. Neither is with the club as it prepares for a pressure-packed 2025 season.

Martino, who coached Messi in stints at Barcelona and with the Argentine national team and won an MLS Cup with Atlanta United, guided the Herons to an MLS record 74 points and the club's first Supporters' Shield in 2024. He stepped down for undisclosed "personal reasons" shortly after his former team, ninth-seeded Atlanta, booted the heavily favored Herons from the playoffs in the first round. Inter Miami hired unproven 40-year-old Argentine coach Javier Mascherano -- another of Messi's friends and former teammates -- to lead La Rosa y Negra.

Tata Martino seems to wave goodbye while coaching against Atlanta in the 2024 MLS playoffs. The Inter Miami coach resigned his position after the Five Stripes upset the heavily favored Herons in the first-round series. | Rich Storry/GettyImages

Henderson, a former midfielder for the U.S. Men's National Team, helped build the Seattle Sounders into a perennial championship contender before coming to Inter Miami in 2021. When MLS levied severe sanctions against the Herons for first-year player payroll violations, Henderson quickly rebuilt a competitive roster with veterans like Deandre Yedlin and Sergiy Kryvstov and lesser-known talents like Robert Taylor, Jean Mota, Bryce Duke, and Franco Negri. It's unclear what role Henderson played in bringing Messi and Co. to South Florida or recruiting the club's several young South American stars -- Federico Redondo, Tomas Aviles, Diego Gomez, Chelo Weigandt, Facundo Farias, etc. -- but it's rumored that Henderson's role was significantly reduced after managing owner Jorge Mas brought in Raul Sanllehi as the president of football operations last summer.

Former Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson smiles watching the Herons in a match against New York City FC last year. | Ira L. Black - Corbis/GettyImages

Despite his meager track record, I believe Mascherano will be OK. He, Messi and the other Barca veterans on Miami's roster were key players on what many believe to be the greatest club team ever to lace up their boots; they know how to win, and Messi, Busquets, Alba and Suarez have proven effective mentors to the Herons' younger players. And, as many Tata critics often noted, anybody could win with the talent Henderson helped assemble in South Florida.

When Inter Miami hired Sanllehi in June, the Spaniard said he would not replace Henderson. It's not clear from his experience in Spain that he could. And, despite stating his preference for working with a sporting director, at this writing Inter Miami hadn't announced any move to replace Henderson.

With serious questions about the attack, defense and quality depth and a packed 2025 schedule rapidly approaching, I'm more anxious about the Herons' new front office than its untried coach.