Why Are Inter Miami CF Allowing So Many Goals in 2025? | OneFootball

When Lionel Messi held up an Inter Miami CF shirt for the first time and debuted in the Leagues Cup, it was thought the trophies would come easily for the South Florida club.

While they went on to win the 2023 Leagues Cup with relative ease to start what was a hopeful, star-studded era, they have since whimpered, failing in their most significant moments and falling short of another trophy in knockout competition.

Now, they have continued to allow goals en masse and have leaned on their attack, which has not been able to outweigh their defensive issues.

After conceding 49 goals during their 2024 Supporters’ Shield-winning season—an average of 1.44 per game—they have now allowed 21 in 2025 through just 13 matches, leaving them well behind last year’s metrics.

It has them sixth in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 6-3-4 under manager Javier Mascherano. However, they look like a shell of the contending team they were last season under head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

Why has it gone wrong?

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The Center Backs Have Glaring Issues

Maxi Falcón has had an overall negative impact on Miami's performance at center back, / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Center back has been a primary issue for Inter Miami and could be a struggle to fix. This season, much of the reliance has fallen upon the mix of Maxi Falcón, Noah Allen, Tomas Aviles, and Gonzalo Lujan, each with faults that have pulled Miami down the standings.

Falcón, signed as a veteran and key starting center back in the offseason, has been unable to solidify himself as a commanding defender. He averages just 0.68 aerial duel wins per 90 minutes, ranking in the bottom three percent of MLS center backs.

Additionally, he has been unable to help launch Miami’s transitions, averaging less than three progressive movements per match. His decisions often keep Miami in their defensive third.

Maxi Falcón's scouting report compared to other MLS center backs. / Courtesy of FBref

Aviles and Allen also reflect aerial struggles; however, the latter’s average of 2.52 tackles per 90 ranks him among the top five percent of MLS center backs. Lujan, meanwhile, has been overall positive, given his 2.19 tackles and 3.81 clearances per 90; however, his contributions can only cover so much.

While Mascherano has attempted to change things up in recent games, the setups usually leave Miami susceptible to long balls over the top, with their center backs either pushing too high or simply not having the pace to catch up to attackers.

This was particularly evident against Minnesota United and Orlando City SC over the last two weeks, with Miami allowing quick counter-attacking goals on both occasions.

As much as signing a new, experienced MLS center back could aid Miami, switching to a lower defensive line could also be a short-term solution.

Jordi Alba’s Mixed Responsibilities

Jordi Alba has spent more time attacking and filling in for center back issues in 2025, leaving him questioning his positioning. / Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

Miami's center-back issues ring loud, but former FC Barcelona fullback Jordi Alba has also contributed to many of their defensive issues, having to take on several responsibilities in Mascherano’s system.

While playing under Martino, Alba spent most of his time on the left wing and attacked as a traditional fullback. However, under Mascherano, he is encouraged to attack heavily through the first 30 minutes, leaving Miami particularly susceptible to allowing goals from out wide, as Minnesota United and former Miami midfielder Julian Gressel pointed out in their recent match.

“What I noticed when I was in Miami is that we were always on top of teams the first 30 minutes,” Gressel said after Minnesota’s 4–1 win. “We would play really well, maybe score early. Last year, we were terrible starting the games, but this year it changed. Usually, after the 30th minute to halftime, we kind of hung on a little bit in a sense, gave up some chances.”

When not attacking, Alba can often be seen drifting inside to cover center back issues. This leaves the 36-year-old lost in space and unable to thrive in the position he played through most of his career with Barcelona.

The issues became even more apparent in Miami’s most recent loss to Orlando City. Alba lined up as a left midfielder, with Allen sliding in as a left back behind him. Alba was unable to contribute defensively and struggled to create stellar scoring chances, with his skill set sinking into the background.

Although it may not be the most enticing position to get the best of Alba, playing him as a traditional left back and allowing him to thrive with a defined role could help Miami shore up not only the wide areas but also the center back miscommunications.

Ustari Has Struggled in Every Metric

Oscar Ustari ranks among the worst-performing goalkeepers in MLS this season. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Few goalkeepers in MLS have struggled as much as Oscar Ustari this season.

The 38-year-old befriended Messi while on the Beijing 2008 Argentina Olympic roster and now finds himself back with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner in the twilight of their careers. Yet, he hasn’t lived up to the level Miami needs for the style of play they want to have.

For Miami to attack as much as they want to and have such an imbalanced team, they need a goalkeeper who can pull off exceptional saves and keep them in games where their defense doesn’t measure up to the opponent's.

Last year, Drake Callender, who is currently sidelined with an injury, kept them in games. While he wasn’t exceptional, he finished the season with +0.11 post-shot expected goals per 90 minutes, which marked his ability to save difficult chances.

Meanwhile, this season, Ustari's PSxG/90 is -0.28, which ranks him 33rd among the 34 goalkeepers who have played an MLS match.

Given his struggles to make big saves and his relative immobility as a ball-playing goalkeeper, the veteran Argentine has played a significant part in the Herons’ defensive struggles this season, and there is no clear solution other than signing a new man between the sticks.

Miami have also opted for Rocco Rios Novo in games where both Ustari and Callender are unavailable, and he has shown more in his brief appearances, putting up a +0.19 PSxG/90 in his two brief matches.

Improving the goalkeeping position could be a simple route for Miami to stop some of their defensive woes through the rest of the season. They recently signed former San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper William Yarbrough. However, the 36-year-old is unlikely to provide much improvement.

Miami's Possesion Lacks Purpose and Creation

Lionel Messi and Telasco Segovia are the only players on Inter Miami to influence shot and chance creation. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Holding 55.7 percent of possession through the season, Inter Miami is third in MLS. However, they have struggled to make much of it count.

While they often control the pace of play in their matchups, they have not been able to translate that into shot creation. So far, they have averaged 20.85 shot-creating actions per game, sitting 12th in MLS in that category. The only players to crack the top 30 are Messi, 2nd in MLS with 6.6 shot-creating actions per 90, and Telasco Segovia, 28th with 4.14. The next best Miami players in chance creation are Alba and Luis Suárez, ranked 99th and 100th in MLS.

Simply, Miami does not have enough players who regularly create significant chances, and the number of talents they have to draw attention away from Messi and Segovia is minimal, allowing teams to zone in on the team’s two key creators.

It’s in this category that losing players like Robert Taylor, Julian Gressel, Leonardo Campana, and Diego Gomez really count, as they were able to make runs to support the primary creators.

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