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Tata Martino bids farewell to Inter Miami; Javier Mascherano expected to be next coach

Sports / Soccer /

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — When the MLS playoffs began late last month, everyone who follows Inter Miami assumed coach Tata Martino would be preparing his team for the conference semifinals this week. Instead, the runner up for MLS Coach of the Year was in the Chase Stadium interview room on Friday morning announcing his resignation two weeks ...Read more

David Santiago/Miami Herald/TNS

Coach Tata Martino leaving Inter Miami for personal reasons after record-breaking season

Sports / Soccer /

MIAMI — Inter Miami coach Tata Martino is leaving the club for personal reasons, league sources confirmed. He has a press conference scheduled for Friday to make the announcement alongside team owner Jorge Mas and president of football operations Raul Sanllehi.

Martino, a finalist for MLS Coach of the Year, led Inter Miami to a league-record ...Read more

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

US men's national team to play Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale. Here are all the details.

Sports / Soccer /

South Florida soccer fans will get a close-up look at the U.S. men’s national team under new coach Mauricio Pochettino as the USA opens its 2025 schedule with a friendly against Copa America quarterfinalist Venezuela on Jan. 18 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

Kickoff will be at 3 p.m., and the match will be broadcast live on TNT, ...Read more

Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Mike Bianchi: Orlando's Grant Hill takes great Pride in his women's soccer investment

Sports / Soccer /

ORLANDO, Fla. — Grant Hill, the former Orlando Magic star and one of our city’s resident sports icons, started going to Orlando Pride games six or seven years ago because he wanted his daughter and her friends to have athletic role models who they could up look to, emulate and aspire to be someday.

And then Hill and his wife Tamia, the ...Read more

Chris Arjoon/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Kevin Baxter: Lionel Messi and his star teammates were ousted, proving you can't buy an MLS Cup

Sports / Soccer /

LOS ANGELES — Forty-two million dollars can buy a lot of things, but apparently it can't buy an MLS championship, because for the second time in as many seasons Inter Miami came up short in trying to spend its way to a league title.

This time it was Atlanta United, the lowest seed in the 18-team playoff field, a team that has played the last ...Read more

Michelle Kaufman: What went wrong with Inter Miami? Why did Messi's team fall so short of expectations?

Sports / Soccer /

MIAMI — And so, the MLS playoffs will carry on without top-seeded Inter Miami, the most-hyped and highest-paid team in league history, the team with the greatest-ever regular season record, the team led by Argentine icon Lionel Messi, arguably the best player of all time.

Messi is back in South America this week with the Argentine national ...Read more

ULISES RUIZ/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mauricio Pochettino calls up his first US Soccer roster for competitive matches

Sports / Soccer /

With next year's World Cup drawing closer, Mauricio Pochettino called up a 25-man roster Sunday for his first competitive games as coach of the men's national soccer team.

The U.S. will face Jamaica in a pair of CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, the first on Thursday in Kingston and the second on Nov. 18 in St. Louis. The winner of the two...Read more

Megan Briggs/Getty Images North America/TNS

Messi scores, but Inter Miami ousted from playoffs after 3-2 loss to Atlanta United

Sports / Soccer /

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — This is not how it was supposed to end, with Lionel Messi and the top-seeded Inter Miami exiting the MLS playoffs in the first round. But that is what happened on a Saturday night that left the home crowd at Chase Stadium stunned and silent.

All the pressure was on Messi and Inter Miami as they tried to keep their ...Read more

Chris Arjoon/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Busquets cleared to play for Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United Saturday in decisive Game 3

Sports / Soccer /

MIAMI — It all comes down to this for Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates: Beat Atlanta United at home Saturday night and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, as expected, or exit in the first round in what would be perceived as a massive failure for the most-hyped and highest-paid team in league history.

Miami entered the ...Read more

Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Union fire longtime manager Jim Curtin

Sports / Soccer /

PHILADELPHIA — The Union have fired manager Jim Curtin, the team announced Thursday.

The Oreland, Pa., native’s 10 years in charge made him the longest-tenured manager by far in Union history, and the second-longest-tenured in Major League Soccer through this past season. This year ended with the team’s first failure to make the playoffs ...Read more

Mike Coppola/Getty Images North America/TNS

Kevin Baxter: How soccer helped shape Alexi Lalas' provocative political views

Sports / Soccer /

LOS ANGELES — Anyone who remembers Alexi Lalas from his playing days remembers the unruly shoulder-length red hair, thin headband and bushy goatee. They remember him traveling across Europe carrying little more than a backpack and guitar.

He was soccer's version of Bill Walton, minus the tie-dyed T-shirts and penchant for listening to the ...Read more

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America/TNS

Messi, Inter Miami on brink of playoff elimination heading into Game 3 vs. Atlanta United

Sports / Soccer /

MIAMI — Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates were considered locks to advance from the opening round of the MLS playoffs. They had secured the Supporters’ Shield in record-breaking form, racking up more points than any team in league history. Their 79 goals were the most in the league, by far.

Messi was coming off back-to-back hat ...Read more

Crowd of 68,455 goes wild as Atlanta United upsets Inter Miami 2-1, forces playoff Game 3

Sports / Soccer /

ATLANTA — Atlanta United opened Mercedes-Benz Stadium to full capacity Saturday night and a crowd of 68,455 showed up for a first-round playoff game against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, the fifth-largest post-season crowd in MLS history.

They got their money’s worth as Xande Silva came off the bench and scored the game-winner for Atlanta ...Read more

Francois Nel/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Tata Martino addresses Neymar to Inter Miami rumors as team prepares for trip to Atlanta

Sports / Soccer /

Tata Martino addressed the Neymar-to-Inter Miami rumors Friday morning, as his team prepared to travel for Saturday’s playoff game against Atlanta United.

Speculation that the Brazilian superstar might someday join former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba intensified this week after Neymar bought a ...Read more

Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS

Ken Sugiura: Down against Inter Miami with changes ahead, it's last call for Atlanta United

Sports / Soccer /

ATLANTA — The clock is ticking down for Atlanta United. Its season of underachievement and disappointment may be reduced to one final match, Saturday against uber-team Inter Miami at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Saturday is Game 2 of the best-of-three series of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Atlanta United is down 1-0, and only a magnificent ...Read more

Rich Storry/Getty Images North America/TNS

Crowd of 70,000 expected for Inter Miami MLS playoff game at Atlanta United on Saturday

Sports / Soccer /

MIAMI — When Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates arrive at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday for Game 2 in their first-round MLS playoff series, they should be prepared to find a fired-up crowd of 70,000 fans and a fearless, upset-minded opponent.

Atlanta United opened the stadium to full capacity for the game, anticipating ...Read more

Francois Nel/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Neymar to Inter Miami? Rumors heat up after Brazilian star buys Bal Harbour property.

Sports / Soccer /

MIAMI — Is Neymar headed to Inter Miami?

Once upon a time, that would have seemed ludicrous. Not anymore.

Whispers that the Brazilian soccer superstar might someday join former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba grew to louder rumblings in recent days after Neymar bought a $26 million waterfront ...Read more

Sounders' homegrown stars looking to put Seattle on their back in MLS playoffs

Sports / Soccer /

RENTON, Wash. — Leading your hometown city or state to a pro championship is supposed to be a rarity — and certainly achieved alongside a roster full of transplants who may not know the best way to dodge traffic or where to get the best cup of coffee.

Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty) is the latest to join an illustrious list of hometown/...Read more

Chris Arjoon/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Dave Hyde: Inter Miami get opening playoff win, Messi gets first step toward necessary title

Sports / Soccer /

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Sometimes sports make evolutionary steps forward, and you might have watched one begin Friday night as Lionel Messi started his first MLS playoffs at Chase Stadium. Or maybe you simply watched the Messi-centric filter on TikTok.

However you prefer him, as international sports icon or dedicated social-media star, Messi ...Read more

Suarez, Alba score as Inter Miami beats Atlanta United, 2-1, to win MLS playoff opener

Sports / Soccer /

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi celebrates his goals with superhero poses and this week launched a Captain Messi action figure toy.

Fresh off back-to-back hat tricks for country and club, on a beautiful, balmy Friday night, Messi was poised to be a hero in his first MLS playoff game against Atlanta United. But it was his close friends ...Read more