“Tata Martino” resigns as Inter Miami coach

Gerardo "Tata" Martino has resigned as head coach of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, according to multiple media reports, after the team suffered a surprise defeat to Atlanta United in Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Miami looked set to cruise to the championship after a record-breaking 74-point regular season but lost the best-of-three opening round in a shock upset to the ninth seeds Atlanta earlier this month.

Martino, who coached Messi for the Argentina national team and at Barcelona, joined Miami last year.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami finished the MLS regular season atop the table with a league-record 74 points but were upset by No. 9 seed Atlanta United in the opening round of the playoffs, ending their season in shocking fashion.

Inter Miami has already seen changes in key positions during 2024. Raul Sanllehi was appointed as president of football operations in June, likely spelling the eventual end for current sporting director Chris Henderson.

There is also the question of how much longer the team's current core group of Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba will continue to play.

The hope for Inter Miami, of course, is that Messi's presence alone has made the club a destination for other big-name talents around the globe, much as co-owner David Beckham once provided for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Messi's stardom is unrivaled, of course, but he will also be uniquely impossible to replace once he retires, whenever that may be.

For now, however, the team is left to find a replacement for the 61-year-old Martino, who in two seasons led the team to a 2023 Leagues Cup title and helped turn around what was once a cellar-dweller club.

The addition of Messi is primarily credited with inspiring that change, and for good reason—he posted an absurd 20 goals and 16 assists in just 15 league starts this season.

Media reports cited "personal reasons" as his reason for stepping down.