Inter Miami finds itself in a transitional period once again as it heads into its match against CF Montreal on Saturday night in Miami.
The club announced Thursday it has hired Argentine coach Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez to replace Guillermo Hoyos. Gonzalez replaces Hoyos just four months after Hoyos was named head coach in the wake of Javier Mascherano stepping down.
The move comes with Inter Miami (11-4-6, 39 points) on a five-match winless streak across all competitions. Despite Lionel Messi still ranking second in goals (14) and tied for fourth in assists (9) in the league, Miami sits 10 points behind Eastern Conference leader Nashville.
Coincidentally, Inter Miami’s last league win came July 25th at Montreal (5-10-6, 21 points).
Gonzalez, the 52-year old former coach of Argentine clubs Platense, Union (Santa Fe) and Rosario Central, will not be on the sideline yet on Saturday as he needs to obtain his necessary work permits, leaving Hoyos in charge until he arrives.
Hoyos will not be on the sideline either, though, as he will serve a one-game suspension for violating the MLS’ Late Kickoff Policy after Miami was late to come out of the locker room in the second half in four of their past six matches. Miami’s assistant coaches will coach against Montreal.
“I’m grateful to everyone and to have been able to live out this dream,” Hoyos said on Friday.
Montreal’s last defeat was in July 25th match against Miami in which Messi did not play, but Luis Suarez notched the game’s lone goal on a penalty kick. Since then, Montreal has defeated Columbus and earned draws against the LA Galaxy this past Saturday, D.C. United and New England.
Montreal (5-10-6, 21 points), which enters the match in 14th place in the conference, welcomed back a familiar face to its roster on Friday as it acquired midfielder Dante Sealy from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for $1.7 million in combined General Allocation Money. Sealy scored a career-high nine goals and had two assists in 30 games for Montreal last season before he was traded to the Rapids on Dec. 23rd of last year.
Sealy has five assists in 20 matches (15 starts) with the Rapids this season.
“(Sealy)’s profile and his ability to play multiple positions will bring greater balance to our roster while strengthening its overall depth,” CF Montreal Managing Director, Recruitment and Sporting Methodology Luca Saputo said. “Dante is familiar with our working environment, our culture, and many members of our group, which will make his integration seamless and allow him to contribute quickly to our objectives.”
–Field Level Media
