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Kily Gonzalez will make his MLS coaching debut for Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami when they host sputtering San Diego FC on Sunday evening.

Gonzalez was appointed as permanent coach of Inter Miami late last month to replace interim boss Guillermo Hoyos. Gonzalez made his competitive debut on Wednesday night, when Messi scored the first goal and then assisted Casemiro’s second in a 2-0 win over Mexico’s Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup.

“There was a lot of anxiety, a lot of joy at the same time and a lot of uncertainty about how I was going to feel,” Gonzalez said about taking the helm for the first time in such a high-profile encounter. “But the truth is that my coaching staff and I are very happy, enjoying it to the fullest and demanding even more from ourselves.”

The victory technically extended Miami’s unbeaten run to five matches (2-0-3) in all competitions. Still, recent results had fallen short of what was expected of the defending MLS Cup champions.

The Herons (12-4-9, 45 points) have drawn their last three matches in league play, and they enter Sunday third in the Eastern Conference standings, 12 points behind first-place Nashville.

Things have been even worse for San Diego (8-11-6, 30 points) entering its first match against Messi and Miami. San Diego has lost three straight in its second MLS season.

That skid included a 5-0 home defeat to the Philadelphia Union last Sunday, a result that dropped San Diego coach Mikey Varas’ side to ninth in the West, just above the playoff line.

With nine goals and 11 assists, San Diego’s Anders Dreyer is enjoying another excellent season after finishing second to Messi in MLS MVP voting in his debut campaign.

But San Diego’s defense has been leaky most of the season, conceding three or more goals in 10 matches across all competitions. And now it must contain a Miami side that leads MLS with 61 goals.

“It’s a tremendous challenge,” Varas said, according to MLSsoccer.com. “They have top players, they have the best player in the history of the game.

“But it’s one that we’re all really excited for, because there’s not a single person who has woken up in the last couple days very happy with where we’re at and what’s happening.”

–Field Level Media

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