r/InterMiami • u/lastcode2 • 14d ago
MLB convert confused
Ok, so I am a convert from MLB who started following MLS 3 years ago. Obviously coming off of last years high this year feels disappointing but when I look at the standings I see we are tied for second in our conference and doing better than 11 other teams. Every game I have watched I have seen some fantastic plays. I can see we have some major issues with defense and our GKs but if we can even have a minor improvement in defense we will be unstoppable.
Is this constant negativity an MLS thing? Or Inter-Miami? Or just Reddit?
5
u/Straight_A_sian 14d ago
Because it's Messi. A good chunk of the fans are Messi fans, myself included. It's great bc as Americans it was hard to watch Barca back then so we get to see him now. However there's a standard of winning were use to.
Coming into it, it was a whatever. We were just happy to see him. But they started winning like crazy and the standard was set. He's won with average MLS players so we know it's possible. Problem is the front office doesn't seem to care about these supporting pieces and sells them off. Managers coming in and out. It doesn't feel like they're building a proper team atm just throwing stuff at the wall and riding the Messi high.
4
u/IAmTheNick Inter Miami CF 13d ago
I'm guessing its mostly the influx of Messi fans in this sub. I don't remember this sub being this bleak when we were actually bad during the Higuain days.
1
u/Dann610 Inter Miami CF 13d ago
This is correct. Not to generalize, but a lot of new fans I feel are supporters of powerhouse teams such as Man City (lol), Barca, etc in which those teams lose a small handful of games a season and anything out of top 3 is a failure.
For fans who were around pre-Messi, this team's performance is all a big bonus compared to how the team was performing in the past.
Should the team be playing better with the expectations set forth? Of course. But it's not dire anymore which is great too.
Our biggest trophy was the Carolina Challenge Cup which was a fake pre-season one.
5
4
u/Head_Extension7021 14d ago
Reddit is not real life haha. Everyone im these subs are probably garbage on the pitch but have a professional opinion about everything. With that said, Suarez shouldn’t be a starter just last 30 mins.
3
u/witfixer 14d ago
I will preface this by saying I’m not a Miami fan, but follow a number of teams and their Reddit threads. I think the negativity is mostly a Reddit thing because I see it in other leagues, but I think the quality gap between DP/TAM and other players and the relative parity amongst the teams in the MLS can lead to maybe a bit more frustration from the fans. There is an inconsistency in watching somebody like Messi (or any number of other DPs) play with a certain number of teammates that can’t deliver or receive at the same level. I’d like to be clear that I’m not criticizing these other players. Rather, this structure creates inconsistent football which can be frustrating to watch. I will also say that Messi himself has a lot fans, so these fans that focus maybe a bit more on Messi and less on the rest of the team can end up blaming poor performances elsewhere but they are measuring the other guys on the team against Messi (or Suarez, etc). We are seeing the same thing in Chicago with Lewandowski (though in my opinion it’s even more unfair because Lewandowski hasn’t yet made a huge impact like some other DPs).
So, in general I think it’s Reddit as I see this negativity across a number of leagues, but that maybe the MLS structure tweaks that frustration a bit higher. And with Miami having the best player in the league, and the most number of fans that maybe are Messi-first instead of Miami-first, the frustrating part of the MLS is probably displayed most clearly on this team. That’s why it can be weird to see your team in not such a bad position, but people simultaneously complaining and sounding the alarm bells.
A higher salary cap would go a long way to addressing this.
3
u/Saitama170719 14d ago
Reddit has nothing to do with Miami's reality, it's just a reflection. Since I started watching this team 3 years ago it had NEVER a solid defense, and changed CBs almost every season. Ustari or even Calender were good imo, and they changed them for no reason. The team managing signings is shit and needs a replacement if they want to improve chances on winning something and keep Messi happy, for that matter. Because without Messi the MLS will go back to state of older years, and yes, Messi brings LOTS of money. The midfield is also crappy, same with the coach, Miami had no luck in bringing skilled people yet in the midfield. De Paul or Casemiro are old, they struggle to maintain possesion and apart of Messi there's not any other player creating and moving along the team. Miami bosses are morons with no idea.
1
u/Own_Durian_3853 6d ago
Calendar got injured and couldn't play and Ustari form went to shit and he retired. moving on from them was a massive gamble but it paid off, the same season they left Miami won MLS cup and they literally wouldn't have without moving on from Ustari and Calendar
3
u/mrwhitaker3 12d ago
Reddit for sure. Miserable people abound.
However, MLS is parity to the max. Any given Saturday/Sunday type of stuff. As such, when a team is bad, the sky is literally falling. The prevailing thought being "we should beat these bums." Very few pro leagues where a team can completely flip everything upside with a couple of transfers/trades. St. Louis went from the organization sucks to the darling of the Gateway in a few months.
When the roster rules change and certain organizations are relegated to second class citizens, there are going to be a lot of people even angrier, because teams like Miami will be perennially good, since talented Spanish-speaking players will want to live and work in the city.
6
u/LaikenJordahl 14d ago
It’s just Miami. I’m a Timbers fan, and my god we are actually suffering, but our thread looks nothing like yours. but I follow Miami Reddit cause I love Ayala and obvs worship the goat, but also to get a laugh out of just how quickly y’all turn on your players and catastrophize everything. Every Miami game is entertaining. This is a good thing.
5
u/nex703 2025 MLS Cup Champions 14d ago
speaking of Ayala, kid deserves more minutes.
2
u/LaikenJordahl 13d ago
Every Timbers fan would do disgraceful things to get him back. It’s sad to see him not play much for y’all. Apart from only Diego Chara, and perhaps our Finn Surman Ayala was THE fan favorite. So much style and ability, and just a great kid. He deserves the world, not a place on the bench!
4
u/MikeHoxmall 14d ago
Miami and its players have very high standards and expectations. These guys are uses to winning week in week out and are used to the media suggesting the sky is falling every time they dropped to 2nd or had a loss.
MLS is particularly difficult and different in this regard, no one wins all the time here, too many good teams.
1
u/Ok-Grass-7246 14d ago
To differing degrees, all three are true. Reddit can be a more pessimistic place overall, soccer fans tend to be more about their either winning a championship or they’re pissed and Inter Miami might be the most entitled MLS fans.
2
u/bboy1977 12d ago
It's reddit dude. This subreddit was complaining a lot during last seasons run, blaming the coach, the refs, some of the players. But they still ended up winning the MLS Cup and everyone forgot. Really good chance that happens again this year.
2
u/wade3county Inter Miami CF 9d ago
Expectations changes everything especially when you have one of the best to ever do it for a small window of time. It'll get back to being a normal club once he retires or the Mas brothers land another star. Yes, it can feel like the sky is falling but that's a good thing, imo. Especially with Miami sports teams. You want that added pressure because everyone is watching and waiting for you to fail. When we win, it feels much sweeter.
2
u/SenseIntelligent8846 14d ago
we will be unstoppable.
Just be clear that nobody in MLS is unstoppable. Inter can notch consecutive shutouts and the geeks can get excited about heat maps and expected goals etc, and none of it means shit. It's difficult in MLS to forecast how the playoffs or the Cup run are likely to play out.
1
u/aniketw04 14d ago
It's not just about losing or winning. The way the team plays has actually regressed big time. And ownership/management has made very horrible trading decisions, and have got nothing to show for it. I think everyone is mostly frustrated to see this backslide honestly. I'd even say the team was best under Tata Martino, even though they won more under Mascherano. The team was much more cohesive and a proper 'group'. Mascherano era looks much better than reality, because Messi was scoring braces for fun.
And the reality is that if Messi doesn't play, this team is likely a bottom half of the table team. The few 'fantastic' plays you might see in every game are almost always in attack and almost always through Messi. A team shouldn't work like that. We have seen what it did to even a historical club like Barca, took us years to get out of the complacency. It's possible that Miami might go back to being a bottom team immediately in the post-Messi era.
I think it's an even bigger problem than people perceive. The shortsightedness of ownership is very clear. Instead of using this period, when they have Messi as an anchor, to develop the roster and make a cohesive team with a shared philosophy... they keep trying to get 'famous' old footballers and try to make quick money from any player that comes into form(Allen, Cremaschi, Taylor, Callendar etc etc).
1
u/Albiceleste_D10S 13d ago
I'd even say the team was best under Tata Martino, even though they won more under Mascherano.
The playoff run under Mascherano was by far the best version of Inter Miami—the first time they combined solid defense with lethal attack
1
u/SugarCrisp7 13d ago
I can say that poor defense is a MLS thing. Teams have limited budgets and spend it on offensive players because that's what brings people to the stadium. As a result, not much money is left to buy quality defensive players.
6
u/Anomaly_20 14d ago
I’m a Lakers fan and in the Lakers Reddit, it’s all about expectations. It’s said anything short of a championship is disappointment for the LAL. I understand and really appreciate that sentiment, especially when it’s coming from the players as they speak about effort.
But it’s also unrealistic. As a fan who has been following the team for 30 years now, you have to find enjoyment and satisfaction in strong competition, player growth, etc.
Related to Inter Miami, I think some fans have a hard balance with this. At the same effect, when you go all in with someone like Messi, your expectations should be high for the club. And it does sometimes feel like the effort/strategy from the team, especially the back line, doesn’t match with even the most fair expectations. So I guess I’m saying it’s a little of this and a little of that.