Since joining MLS in 2020, Inter Miami has so far drawn attention for all the wrong reasons. They were found guilty of extensive MLS rule violations in building their 2020 roster, resulting in a multi-million dollar allocation money fine, while star striker Gonzalo Higuaín made more headlines for saying he thought he’d be able to play “with a cigarette in [his] mouth” than for anything that happened on the pitch.

After a messy 2021, Miami has opted to hit the reset button, turning over around half their roster. It’s a necessary move, and they’ve made some clever additions, but signs are pointing to this being a multi-year process rather than a one-year turnaround.

Inter Miami CF (2021 record: 12W-5D-17L (41 points), 11th place in the Eastern Conference

Head coach: Phil Neville

Neville came in last year with pedigree as a Premier League player, as well as some relative success in women’s soccer, coaching England to their first-ever World Cup semifinal. However, in woso, his teams seemed more a product of talent than coaching, and there are suspicions that his closeness with Miami owner David Beckham got him the job more than anything else.

Those doubts held up, as Miami looked lost for much of 2021, going on two separate six-game losing streaks, and losing by 4+ goals on four different occasions. Frankly, they were a mess, and Neville faces a more difficult job this year if they’re going to turn it around.

Key additions: Jean Mota, DeAndre Yedlin, Leonardo Campana, Damion Lowe, Emerson Rodriguez, Ariel Lassiter, Clément Diop, Christopher McVey, Mo Adams, Robert Taylor

It’s a long list, because Miami needed a full rebuild. Adding a USMNT player in Yedlin and a player with 100+ Brazilian top-flight games like Mota is a step in the right direction, while Campana and Lassiter both seem to fit in well alongside Gonzalo Higuaín up front.

This list might expand, with academy product and 2021 USL League One Young Player of the Year Noah Allen emerging as a preseason starter at left wingback.

Key losses: Rodolfo Pizarro, Leandro González Pírez, Julián Carranza, Matías Pellegrini, Lewis Morgan, Nicolás Figal, Ryan Shawcross, Christian Makoun, Kelvin Leerdam, John McCarthy

Seven of Miami’s top ten players in minutes played are gone, with the first four on this list all loaned out as part of the club’s plan to work around MLS sanctions. Speaking of those sanctions, Blaise Matuidi isn’t officially gone yet, but all signs point to Miami having to buy him out.

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Neville has preferred a standard 4-2-3-1 in the past, but Miami were using a 5-3-2 while winning the Carolina Challenge Cup preseason tournament. That lets Higuaín drop off and see plenty of the ball, with Campana partnering him as a target man, and it seems to be their Plan A right now.

It does have its issues: George Acosta and Robert Taylor are both unproven in MLS (and Taylor is more a winger that can play centrally than the other way around), while multiple promising attackers would be consigned to the bench.

Miami could still play 4231, though, which would alleviate their lack of depth at center back and give a starting role to Under-22 Initiative signing Emerson Rodríguez on the right wing. Neville also gave a 343/541 a try, which would see Rodríguez, Robbie Robinson, and Ariel Lassiter competing to be the wide forwards.

You could make an argument for Mota or Yedlin here, but really it’s the big picture idea of simply cleaning house. Miami were utterly dysfunctional last year, with a roster that didn’t fit together, didn’t fit Neville’s approach, and didn’t seem to enjoy being around one another. The stars were too old, and the supporting cast seemed cobbled together at random.

Miami’s going into this season with one hand tied behind their back due to the multi-million dollar sanctions for rule violations, which has likely doomed them to missing the playoffs. However, those limits may have provided some badly needed clarity in terms of addressing team needs, encouraging smart additions like Mota, Yedlin, or Under-22 Initiative signings like Campana and Rodríguez.

Miami has a roster that is brand new and entirely unproven in MLS, and a coach who, if he succeeds, would be overachieving on the touchline for the first time ever. They could be a gritty team that gets results through spirit and savvy, but they could also be a debacle again. MLS culture holds both of those genres in high regard, so either way, the Herons should be entertaining.

As tempting as it is to hammer Neville for seeming in over his head tactically, the reality is that this roster is a complete rebuild while down a little over $2 million in allocation money. There are very good players here, with Gregore, Yedlin, and the more engaged version of Higuaín all good enough to play for real contenders. It’s just that the rest of the squad isn’t in that range, and on top of that, Miami is thin on depth and short on experience.

No team in MLS has ever had to cope with the massive allocation money penalty Miami got for breaking several MLS roster rules. That’s impressive in its own way, right?

You know that scene in Thor: Ragnarok where Thor comes back to Asgard to find everything Loki-fied and comes across a theatrical play where “Thor” (portrayed by a less-famous Hemsworth) is lionizing Loki’s sacrifice? Miami is the fake Thor. The branding and surface-level vibe says “big club,” but the reality is that they’re going to have a tough time hanging with actual superheroes.