Miscast? German Berterame's role at Inter Miami under the microscope | OneFootball

After their CONCACAF Champions Cup exit to Nashville SC on Wednesday, March 18th, the uproar on social media was immediate.

From fans hurt about the result to those who saw it coming due to tactical shortcomings, the loss is a bigger piece of the incomplete Inter Miami puzzle that’s been haunting the club since the offseason.

When Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets retired last year, the race was on for the Herons to find Designated Players worthy of taking on their mantle.

The first player? Rodrigo De Paul. The Argentine initially signed with Miami last summer on loan, then subsequently became a DP this offseason.

The next player? German Berterame, who’s accomplished in his own right.

Before coming over to Miami, the Mexican international was a force to be reckoned with at Monterrey, scoring 68 goals in 153 appearances.

He’s a solid striker, even if his goal-scoring record doesn’t reflect that right now. However, the circumstances surrounding his signing are interesting, to say the least.

Over the offseason, I did hear a few things about the club’s roster plans for the 2026 season. While I’m not entirely at liberty to say everything they planned to do, I do know that another winger (in addition to Tadeo Allende) was one of their highest priorities.

We can see this through the club’s bid for LAFC winger Denis Bouanga, which failed to go through.

When that didn’t come to fruition, the club then obviously pivoted to bring in Berterame, a more natural number nine.

While pinning all the team’s tactical woes on one player is absurd, we can use this signing to pinpoint why Miami isn’t fully clicking in attack.

What made Inter Miami so successful last season was the team’s ability to attack in transition, lined up in a 4-3-3. With Lionel Messi as the false nine, flanked by speedy and physically imposing wingers like Tadeo Allende and Mateo Silvetti, the Herons thrived in the open field.

Given that the team was after an additional winger this offseason but fell just short, the tactical switch for a striker like Berterame made sense.

But we can see some of the shortcomings with this, particularly after Miami’s Champions Cup loss to Nashville.

Being in the press box for the game for the first time this year, I had the chance to watch Berterame closely.

He’s undoubtedly getting into good goal-scoring positions, but due to surrounding pressure (mainly the transfer fee), the 27-year-old tends to rush his shots.

Inter Miami last season was a well-oiled machine in transition, and while Berterame is certainly more mobile than any striker Miami has had since Leonardo Campana, he doesn’t have that tendency/ instinct to make runs in behind like Allende or Silvetti.

There were moments in a few games this year where Berterame would look to drop deep to link play instead of playing off the shoulder of the defender.

That kicks off a chain of events on the field that prevents Miami from exploiting the opposition with Messi’s vision, instead allowing the opponent to get back into a defensive shape, thus closing any open attacking gaps in the final third.

Remember those last 15 minutes against Nashville? Yeah, that’s what happens when a team can’t break down a low block.

All that said, how does Miami fix this?

Simple. Revert back to a 4-3-3, instead of a 4-4-2.

Until we hit the summer (which, by then, if he hasn’t been scoring consistently, the saxophones will begin to grow louder), Berterame will have to show he can gel with this attacking unit.

To give the striker the best opportunity to show his worth, playing him as a forward with Messi at right wing, Tadeo Allende, or Mateo Silvetti on the left will give the team’s attack more balance.

It won’t be the “rock n’ roll,” hit in transition type of football we saw last year, but it would give Miami the chance to get their very(!!!) expensive new striker involved.

Conversely, Javier Mascherano could just sit Berterame, start Allende and Silvetti together, while bringing the forward off the bench as he gets reintegrated into the attacking fold. It’s a risk dropping your multi-million dollar forward, but Mascherano has done it before.

Whatever happens, Miami’s coaching staff needs to solve it quickly. With the team looking for more silverware this year, the team can’t afford slip-ups anymore.