Higuain out, Messi or Ronaldo in? A crazy offseason awaits Inter Miami after positive strides in 2022

The first thing to understand when putting Miami's 2022 season in perspective is exactly what they were working with.

Following an investigation into the club's salary cap situation, MLS found that Miami violated league rules by having five Designated Players on its roster for 2020.

The league announced that Miami would be fined while having its available allocation money slashed in 2022 and 2023, effectively handicapping the club's ability to fill out its roster.

Those punishments led to some difficult exits. Lewis Morgan was traded to the New York Red Bulls for a massive sum of allocation money, which helped rebuild their finances a bit, but it was hard for Miami to watch on as he emerged as a star at Red Bull Arena.

DP Rodolfo Pizarro was loaned to Monterrey after a largely-disappointing spell, while Blaise Matuidi, whose signing was at the center of MLS' investigation, became a club ambassador. The club also lost defender Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, a veteran with an MLS Cup to his name.

In total, the roster had 19 new players on it before the regular season even started.

If I would have told you this summer that Inter Miami would make the playoffs with Higuain emerging as arguably the best striker in MLS, you would have called me crazy.

Higuain, of course, was at one point benched by Phil Neville. But, by the end of it all, he was the hottest goalscorer in the league, leading a surge toward the postseason while ending his illustrious career on a high.

Higuain finished the regular season with 16 goals, 14 of which came in the final 17 games, while catapulting Miami into the playoffs.

And it's Higuain's resurgence that truly defined Miami's season.

Like their striker, Miami looked done and dusted this summer but, after that benching, all involved used it as a rallying point. It would have been easy for Higuain to fade away, for Miami to fold, for Neville to see it all blow up around him.

Instead, Higuain took it as a challenge and Inter Miami became better for it. And, as Neville pointed out, it led to the type of season that defines a culture, something the club has desperately lacked since its inception.

"I suppose it’s Gonzalo is the biggest thing that I’m proud of," Neville said. "We spoke off camera about how there’s great potential, we’ve recruited really well but we needed time. And Gonzalo that day probably mirrored how we all felt. And he had a choice: Either return as a champion or his legacy at this football club wasn’t going to be great.

"And he promised me, assured me that [for] his legacy he wanted to be a winner. And our relationship has never, ever wavered, we’ve always had a lot of respect for each other."

He later added: "I think we changed the way people looked at Inter Miami. There was a lot of negativity around the club and I think that changed."

As it turns out, though, no amount of good vibes can do it all for your in the playoffs.

Miami had all the makings of a team of destiny, with a legendary gunslinging striker retiring and looking for one last chance at glory.

But they ran into an absolute buzzsaw at Citi Field and were dismantled by defending champions NYCFC.

It was a match where Miami's flaws were laid bare. Their defense was horrific, starting with the centerback pairing. The midfield struggled to get any hold of the game given what was going on behind them. And Higuain, stationed up top, hardly got anything to work with (and yet still managed to score a goal that was disallowed) as NYCFC proved relentless in their first step towards defending their title.

It was a match that showed the difference between a title contender and a playoff hopeful, and NYCFC's status as a title contender isn't exactly certain considering the departures they dealt with this year.

But, if the regular season showed how far Inter Miami had come, their brief postseason run showed how far they have to go.

Heading into 2023, the club certainly has some key pieces already in place.

The midfield is in a good spot with Gregore and Jean Mota, while the goalkeeping position looks set for years to come with 25-year-old Drake Callender. The right back spot is also secure, with U.S. men's national team veteran DeAndre Yedlin one of the best in the league.

Neville, too, should return, given the team's performance this year. The former England star is still very much learning how to be a head coach at this level, but you have to give him credit for how he handled the Higuain situation all year long.

He got players to buy in and make an improbable run to the playoffs despite all of the things that held them back. In short, it was a successful season for Neville.

But that's enough about who's coming back. Now to the part you're all here for...

There's an elephant in the room. Three of them to be precise.

With Higuain retiring, Pizarro on his way out and, perhaps, midseason acquisition Alejandro Pozuelo out of contract, Miami have an incredible amount of roster flexibility thanks to their three Designated Player spots. Now, there's a chance Pozuelo does come back, as a DP or perhaps even on a TAM deal, but, even so, Miami will be in a position to chase stars.

And that's what this team is all about: stars.

“We’ve proven that we can compete with anyone in this league on any given day and now it’s about adding three players of real quality that would make us a challenger for top four in my eyes," Neville said. "Looking for top-end players, three players who are real match winners that can go into our starting 11 and really improve us.”

The first priority will be to replace Higuain with another superstar striker. Could it be used on, say, Luis Suarez, a player that has been linked to MLS for years? Or, perhaps, Cristiano Ronaldo, a player that, for many, would be the ultimate signing? Or could they even take a swing to sign Lionel Messi, who will be out of contract this summer at PSG?

Realistically, there are no shortage of options for Miami, who could follow in the footsteps of Toronto FC and try and lure an in-their-prime international or in the footsteps of Atlanta and try to sign South America's next big thing.

One player that has been consistently linked is one of Messi and Suarez's former Barca teammates, Sergio Busquets, who would provide a whole bunch of stability and leadership to the midfield. But is he a big enough name and would his style translate to MLS? To be determined.

Miami could add a midfielder, like Busquets, to run the game. Or they could add some attacking help to elevate their new striker. Or they could go unconventional and bring in a star center back to serve as a leader for their backline.

The point is that this is a big offseason for Chief Soccer Officer Chris Henderson and the rest of Miami's sporting department. The club has the flexibility to bring in some game changers, and which ones they end up with will ultimately determine which direction this team moves in going forward.