With the signing of Lionel Messi, winning the club's first trophy and enjoying the new-found attention of millions of fans, things are going well at Inter Miami - but that has not always been the case.
While the club can now boast a team full of superstars and a trophy in their cabinet, it was not long ago that the MLS side was embroiled in a cheating scandal. The club was fined $2 million for their troubles and was slapped with further sanctions which landed David Beckham in hot water.
During the early stages of Inter Miami's existence, the club opted for a bold approach to make their mark on the league. The strategy included buying big-name players who were in the twilights of their careers.
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The team's first MLS season in 2020 saw moves for World Cup-winning French midfielder Blaise Matuidi and three-time La Liga winner with Real Madrid, Gonzalo Higuain.
Despite taking the league by surprise, the players failed to gel under head coach Diego Alonso and finished tenth in the Eastern Conference. The team was quickly knocked out of the play-offs to Nashville with Alonso swiftly being relieved of his duties.
Beckham's former Manchester United teammate Phil Neville took the reigns shortly afterwards following a spell as the England Women's head coach.
Further transfers were made in the forms of ex-Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs from West Bromwich Albion, and Stoke's experienced defender Ryan Shawcross. But amid an underwhelming start, the team was subject to an investigation into the deal to buy Matuidi.
Blaise Matuidi's contract issues cost Inter Miami $2 million (Photo by Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images)The investigation spelled bad news for Miami, who were fined a record $2 million for violating roster designation rules. Matuidi was revealed to have been paid over the allowed limit set by the MLS having not been declared as a designated player - meaning his salary wouldn't have counted towards the salary cap.
The news was made even worse by the team's performances on the pitch. Neville's failure to achieve any success in the league or in any cup competitions saw him lose his job at the end of the 2022 season.
At the time, the club was slammed by former United States and Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden, who brutally declared: "If you're going to cheat, cheat well Miami.
"It's embarrassing when you think about what happened with them last season. I think about when Miami was announced, it was years and years of courting that David Beckham's team was going to make a big splash, Miami was going to spend money.
"I think what came with that was a sense of entitlement and, quite frankly, some arrogance that Miami was somehow above the rules. I'm happy that Major League Soccer came down heavy here. I think they needed to because they have to maintain the integrity of this league. I want teams to spend money, but spend within the rules."
Despite the early doom and gloom, Miami has taken dramatic steps to improve its fortunes, thanks in part to the arrival of World Cup winner Lionel Messi. The 36-year-old sought a move to Inter Miami on a free transfer and was joined by former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
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The trio have been instrumental to the team's success which saw them lift the Leagues Cup - Miami's first trophy. The silverware has done little to solve Miami's league woes which saw the team end the season in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, online above bottom-placed Toronto FC.
Miami will be hoping to improve on last season's efforts under new head coach Tata Martino, and a full season worth of Messi.
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