Inter Miami Appoint Kily González as New Head Coach

Inter Miami have appointed former Argentina international Cristian “Kily” González as their new head coach, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. César Luis Merlo was the first to disclose the development.

The appointment brings interim manager Guillermo Hoyos’ spell in charge of the South Florida team to an end. He may already have overseen his final match, as MLS confirmed on Thursday that he had received a one-game suspension following the club’s repeated breaches of rules concerning delayed kickoffs. Inter Miami have developed a reputation across the league for returning late after half-time.

Hoyos stepped into the role after Javier Mascherano left for personal reasons on 14 April, a few weeks after Miami suffered an aggregate defeat to Nashville SC in the last 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup. Before becoming interim coach, Hoyos served as an assistant after originally joining the organization as head of methodology for its academy. It remains uncertain whether he will stay with the club in another position.

Inter Miami have struggled since returning from the MLS World Cup pause, recording only three victories in nine matches. Their latest win came against Atlético San Luis in the Leagues Cup on 5 August. The Herons exited the tournament during the group stage following a 3-2 defeat by León on 12 August, before losing 4-1 to Nashville SC in league competition. They are currently without a victory in five consecutive matches, with Lionel Messi featuring in the most recent four after returning following the death of his father, Jorge.

Hoyos shares a lengthy connection with Messi and is regarded by some as the coach who discovered him while working with a Barcelona youth team in the early 2000s. González has fewer direct links to Messi, although he was also born in Rosario. Their international careers briefly crossed in 2005, when González made the final two of his 56 Argentina appearances in World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Peru. Messi also played in both fixtures, collecting his third and fourth senior caps. They were on the pitch together only against Peru, while Messi replaced González during the second half of the Uruguay match.

Since beginning his coaching career, González has managed Rosario Central between 2020 and 2022, Unión from 2023 until 2025, and most recently Platense for a 14-match spell last year. At each club, his teams recorded more defeats than victories, leaving him with an overall career win rate of 32.5%.

Inter Miami sit 10 points behind Nashville in the Eastern Conference and occupy third place in the Supporters’ Shield standings, trailing both the Tennessee club and Western Conference leaders Vancouver Whitecaps. After lifting the MLS Cup last season, Miami entered this campaign among the leading contenders to retain the trophy. Their squad was strengthened with the arrivals of wide defender Sergio Reguilón, 2025 MLS goalkeeper of the year Dayne St Clair, Monterrey forward Germán Berterame and Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who joined after the World Cup.