New Inter Miami coach Tata Martino attends first practice, but Morales to coach vs DC

The Tata Martino era began in earnest on Thursday morning, as the new Inter Miami coach oversaw his first training session after obtaining his work visa.

There was a palpable extra notch of intensity on the practice field with players auditioning in sweltering 90-degree heat under the watchful eye of their new boss and his staff. Interim coach Javi Morales will continue to lead the team for the road game Saturday against D.C. United, and Martino will take full charge Monday with Morales as one of his assistants.

“This is the final part of the transition,” Morales explained. “Tata got his visa, and he will be on the field, but I will still be leading the training and surely the game on Saturday because he didn’t have time to train with the team. There are only two days before the game and he’s going to want to have a full week of training.”

Inter Miami remains in last place in the Eastern Conference, nine points shy of the playoff line, despite back-to-back ties against Austin FC and the Columbus Crew. Big reinforcements are coming, with Argentine star Lionel Messi and his former FC Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets expected to make their joint Inter Miami debuts on July 21 against Mexican club Cruz Azul in the opener of the Leagues Cup.

In the meantime, Morales has been leading a roster depleted by injuries and the absences of starting defenders DeAndre Yedlin (USA) and Kamal Miller (Canada), who are playing in the Gold Cup.

“With all the things that happened with this club, the injuries, it’s been a Master Class trying to make the best decisions day by day,” Morales said. “I tried my best, and I am very happy with how the players have responded to me, especially the last two games. I have seen positive changes.”

He said he and Martino are “on the same page” and he expects a smooth transition.

“I have been answering all his questions because I know more about the club and players having been here from the start, but he has a lot of experience and doesn’t need 50 games to figure out what’s going on,” Morales said. “In two or three games he can see.”

Morales feels Martino was a good choice for the job.

“Since day one they told me that I would be the interim coach for the moment (after Phil Neville was fired June 1), and then I was a candidate to be head coach, and the club decided to bring Tata and I think it’s a very smart decision with all the things happening right now around the club,” Morales said. “He has experience and he’s a really talented coach I’m happy to be here and be part of the club because I’m going to learn so much.”

The players are just getting to know Martino and left back Noah Allen said he has been impressed.

“He’s an MLS winner, so I’m very excited to work with him, we’re all very excited,” Allen said. “As of now we know that Javi’s going to be coaching this weekend, but everyone’s pretty excited to be working with an MLS champion and he’s won multiple titles in other countries.”

First impressions of his new coach?

“Very professional, he knows what he’s going to do with the club,” Allen said. “We’ve had a few meetings and it’s very promising. We haven’t had much about tactics yet. From me, what I’ve gotten is professionalism, he looks like a coach with authority, so it’s going to be interesting and fun.”

Mexican midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro, who is expected to be traded to make room for Messi and Busquets, was at practice Thursday. He has received interest from Mexican teams and the Los Angeles Galaxy. A source with knowledge of the situation said Pizarro will likely land with the Galaxy.

“I am counting on Rodo for Saturday, nobody has told me otherwise,” Morales said. “I talk to him every day, understand the situation, but he is part of Inter Miami and Saturday he should have a chance to play.”

Forward Robbie Robinson, who injured his hamstring against Austin, was not at practice. Morales said he had an MRI and it was a “grade 1” injury that is not too serious, but his status is day to day. Robinson has been injury prone since joining the club as the No. 1 draft pick in 2020 and missed a full year from mid-2022 to mid-2023 with leg injuries.

“We have to help Robbie and stand by him because he is a great player,” Morales said. “With the new coach and staff we will try to figure out what’s best for him because when he’s healthy he can contribute to this team. Everyone is different, reacts different to things, and we have to treat each player differently.”