Inter Miami Fires Ángel Guillermo Hoyos, Hires Cristian "Kily" González as New Coach

One point out of a possible fifteen and elimination from the Leagues Cup were enough for Inter Miami to make its move. Ángel Guillermo Hoyos is out as head coach, and taking his place is a familiar face from Argentine soccer: Cristian "Kily" González.

The Florida club confirmed the change Thursday night, though with an important caveat: González "will officially take up his duties once he receives the corresponding work permits." In other words, he can't sit on the bench just yet. In the meantime, Hoyos will remain in charge on an interim basis until the new coaching staff is ready to take over.

The club's statement also made room for gratitude: "Inter Miami would like to recognize and specifically thank Hoyos for his commitment and full dedication to the Club, demonstrated by his willingness to take on the role during this period, which began in April," the official release states.

From Rosario Central and Unión to Coaching Messi

Kily has been without a club since October, when he left Platense just months after taking over. Before that he had longer stints at Rosario Central (2020-2022) and Unión de Santa Fe (2023-2025), but he had never coached outside Argentina. At 52, this will be his first international experience as a head coach.

As a player, he certainly got his fill of Europe: he wore the jerseys of Real Zaragoza, Valencia and Inter Milan, in addition to stops at Central, Boca and San Lorenzo in Argentine soccer. There's also a curious detail linking his past to his new present: he was Lionel Messi's teammate on the Argentina national team, sharing the squad for the final two matches of World Cup 2006 qualifying, a win over Peru in Buenos Aires and a loss to Uruguay in Montevideo.

With this hire, Inter Miami brings in its seventh coach in club history, and the fifth straight Argentine: Javier Morales (interim, 2023), Gerardo Martino (2023-2024), Javier Mascherano (2025-2026), Hoyos (2026) and now González. Before them came Uruguay's Diego Alonso (2020-2021) and England's Phil Neville (2021-2023).

There's something paradoxical about Hoyos's exit. He had taken over in April after Mascherano's departure and wasn't officially confirmed in the role until early June. The start was more than solid: 19 points out of a possible 24. But the subsequent slide, coming right as MLS suspended him for delaying the start of matches, ultimately sealed his fate.

Inter Miami currently sits second in the Eastern Conference of MLS, but is going through a worrying rough patch, having managed just one point in its last five outings across all competitions. The team has the Campeones Cup final against Cruz Azul on the horizon, and in MLS play will visit CF Montréal on Saturday needing to snap the skid.