It was easy to doubt Javier Mascherano. Here was a manager who had never coached at the club level, had underwhelmed when handed a fine group of youth internationals for Argentina, and had been appointed - at least in part - due to his relationships with Inter Miami's star players.
If nothing else, this season was supposed to make for fascinating viewing.
And in the smallest of sample sizes, it has delivered. Mascherano hasn't done anything tactically revolutionary as Miami's head coach. There is no new style of play or groundbreaking changes that will shift the footballing landscape for years to come.
Even he admitted that Miami's best players - Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba - can't really be coached at this point. Instead, his job is in the small details. It's about getting players into the right spots, and making the kind of important tweaks that can get the most out of a group.
So far? Mission accomplished. Miami drew the first game of their MLS campaign, and have won the rest across all competitions. Three of them have come without Messi. In one, Mascherano's side were down to 10 men. Inter Miami now their first shot at revenge against Atlanta United - the club that knocked them out of the playoffs last year - in another edition of Sunday Night Soccer on Apple TV.
It's seldom simple, course. And stiffer competition will come. But after a few weeks and matches both in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and MLS, Miami appear a solid side with some nifty tactical tweaks potentially setting them up for a season of success.
GOAL looks at the adjustments the Argentine has made to The Herons in the early days of 2025.
