Kily Gonzalez, 52, a native of Argentina and former Argentina World Cup player, was named coach of Inter Miami on Aug. 27, 2026, replacing Guillermo Hoyos.
Plantense club
Inter Miami hired Argentine coach Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez to replace Guillermo Hoyos, the club announced on Thursday night.
Gonzalez will officially assume his duties once he receives the necessary work permits. Hoyos will continue in charge of the team until the arrival of the new head coach and his staff, but he will not be on the sideline for the home game Saturday against CF Montreal.
Major League Soccer announced Thursday that it suspended Hoyos for one game for the team’s repeated violations of the Late Kickoff Policy. MLS fined the club and Hoyos undisclosed amounts. His assistant coaches will direct the team on Saturday.
The league’s late Kickoff Policy states that all clubs must be on the field and ready to play at the scheduled kickoff of the first and second half. MLS clubs and head coaches are subject to escalating fines and a head coach suspension for repeated violations. Inter Miami was late to start the second half in four of the past six games.
It has been a tough month for Hoyos and his team, who are mired in a slump with four losses and one tie in August, were eliminated from the Leagues Cup in the group stage and slipped 10 points behind Eastern Conference leader Nashville. That rough stretch put mounting pressure on Hoyos, leading to the coaching change.
Inter Miami manager Guillermo Hoyos looks on before his team plays against Atlético San Luis in their Leagues Cup 2026 soccer match at Nu Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Miami, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Hoyos took over as interim manager in April after the unexpected departure of Javier Mascherano, who led the team to the 2025 MLS Cup title and resigned for personal reasons along with his entire coaching staff. The team won nine of its first 12 games under Hoyos, but struggled, especially defensively, in recent weeks.
“Inter Miami would like to especially highlight and thank Hoyos for his commitment and full dedication to the Club, demonstrated by his willingness to assume the role during this period,” the club said in the statement announcing the coaching change.
Hoyos may stay with the club in another role. He had been the team’s sporting director before taking over the coach position in April.
Gonzalez, the 52-year-old former Platense and Rosario Central coach becomes Inter Miami’s sixth coach in seven seasons, following Diego Alonso, Phil Neville, Tata Martino, Mascherano and Hoyos.
Gonzalez, who is a native of Lionel Messi’s hometown of Rosario, has been unemployed since October 2025, when he was fired by Platense. He previously managed Rosario Central and Unión de Santa Fe. He has never coached outside of Argentina. As a player, he played for Zaragoza, Valencia, and Inter Milan.
Inter Milan’s Kily Gonzalez (L) challenges Cristian Zaccardo of Palermo during their Italian Serie A soccer match at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, northern Italy January 21, 2006. REUTERS/Daniele La Monaca Daniele la Monaca REUTERS
He started his career with Rosario Central, moved to Spain in 1996 where he played seven seasons for Zaragoza and Valencia and appeared in 182 matches and scored 23 goals. He played in UEFA Champions League finals (1999–2000, 2000–01) and was named in the UEFA Team of the Year in 2001. He left Valencia in 2003, and spent three years in Italy with Inter Milan before returning to the Argentine league.
Argentina’s soccer team pose for a picture before their Group F gameagainst England in Sapporo June 7, 2002. Top row (L-R): Juan Sorin,Pablo Cavallero, Mauricio Pochettino, Diego Placente and Walter Samuel.Bottom row (L-R): Javier Zanetti, Diego Simeone, Gabriel Batistuta,Kily Gonzalez, Ariel Ortega and Juan Veron. REUTERS/Dan ChungDC/JD Dan Chung REUTERS
He played 10 years for Argentina’s national team, was on the 2002 World Cup team and played in two Copa América tournaments. Among his teammates on that 2002 World Cup team were U.S. national team coach Mauricio Pochettino, Javier Zanetti, Diego Simeone, Gabriel Batistuta, Ariel Ortega and Juan Veron.
Gonzalez was dismissed by Platense in late-October 2025 with a record of two wins, five ties and seven losses in 14 matches.
“I am sad, I didn’t want to leave,” he said at the time in an ESPN interview. “There are many tears in between, but it’s football and we know these situations can happen. What matters is what you leave in the players. I am not leaving angry with the directors, on the contrary. Being approached by the last champion of Argentine football was a challenge to see where we stood. It didn’t turn out as we expected, but hopefully, I can return to the field soon.”
“Football is about winning, and especially the last match, it wasn’t what we had planned. Based on that, one understands that the results were not what we had sought throughout the championship, which is why the decision was made to let me go. We have to accept it.”
He added: “I didn’t want to leave, nothing in my life was easy and I like challenges. I always try to fulfill my contract and I expressed this to the president yesterday, but it went beyond my desire to continue. I understand their position. As happens in football, the coach is removed and it is totally respectable.”
This story was originally published August 27, 2026 at 4:42 PM.
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Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.