Inter Miami Suspends Interim Coach and Appoints Cristian González as New Head Coach
Inter Miami experienced a significant shake-up on Thursday, marking a busy day for the club as they suspended their interim coach and confirmed a new head coach within hours.
In the afternoon, Major League Soccer (MLS) announced that Guillermo Hoyos, Miami’s interim coach, would serve a one-game suspension due to “repeated violations of the League’s Late Kickoff Policy.” This decision follows the club’s habit of delaying their opponents’ kickoff times, with both clubs and coaches facing potential fines and suspensions for ongoing infractions.
According to the league, both Hoyos and the club received fines of an undisclosed amount for consistently violating the kickoff policy, which requires teams to be on the field at the scheduled time for each half. Miami’s late arrivals have been noted for several weeks, notably during their matches against Toronto FC and Nashville SC, which left the opposing teams waiting for several minutes.
Although delaying the kickoff could be seen as a strategic tactic, the results did not favor Miami, as they lost 4-1 to Nashville and 2-1 to Toronto.
Later in the evening, the club announced the hiring of Cristian “Kily” González as their new permanent head coach, confirming numerous reports about González’s acceptance of the role. His arrival, however, depends on the completion of necessary work permits. Until then, the team stated that Hoyos would continue to manage the squad provisionally.
González’s appointment makes him the third coach for Inter Miami this season, following the unexpected resignation of Javier Mascherano in April. He also becomes the fourth Argentine manager for the club since the arrival of Lionel Messi in 2023. Hoyos’s suspension will take effect this Saturday when Miami faces CF Montréal.
It’s been a busy day for Inter Miami, who has seen its interim coach suspended and hired a new coach in the span of a couple of hours — seemingly by coincidence.
On Thursday afternoon, MLS announced that Miami’s interim coach Guillermo Hoyos has been suspended one game for “repeated violations of the League’s Late Kickoff Policy,” referring to Miami’s tendency to keep their opponents waiting on the field before kickoff.
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And then, in the evening, Miami announced that they had hired Argentinian coach Cristian “Kily” González as the permanent head coach, confirming multiple reports that González had agreed to take the job.
According to the league, Hoyos and the team were also both fined an undisclosed amount for repeatedly violating the kickoff policy, which dictates that teams be on the field at the time kickoff is scheduled in the first and second half of every game. Per the league, both clubs and coaches can be given escalating fines and eventually a suspension for repeat behavior.
Miami has arrived late to kickoffs for weeks, including last week’s game against Toronto FC and a match against Nashville SC on Aug. 15. In both instances, Inter Miami left the opposing team waiting for several minutes on the field before finally emerging from the locker room.
Though the move is theoretically used as a tactic to try and put opponents off their game, it didn’t quite seem to work: Miami lost 4-1 to Nashville and 2-1 to Toronto.
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Hoyos’ suspension will be served Saturday, as Miami hosts CF Montréal.
It’s unclear if the two events are related, or if it’s simply coincidence. But it does not appear that González and the team’s new staff will arrive in time to cover for Hoyos: Per the team’s statement, González will join Miami once he receives the proper work permits, while Hoyos will “provisionally continue in charge” of the club.
González will become Miami’s third coach this season, after Javier Mascherano stepped down unexpectedly in April. He will also become the club’s fourth Argentine manager since Lionel Messi joined the squad in 2023.
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