MIAMI — Finally, after more than two months at his new job as Inter Miami coach, Javier Mascherano’s heart and refrigerator are full.

The Argentine former FC Barcelona star sheepishly admitted that until his wife, Fernanda, and three children arrived for an extended February visit, he had little food in his kitchen since replacing Tata Martino and becoming the boss of his former Barca teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez.

“I was spending all my time at the training facility, preparing for the season, so I did not have time for food shopping,” he said. “The most difficult part of my transition to my new job has been not having my family around. Now that they are here for a few weeks, I am adapting more to life here. I’ve never been one to go out. I like to stay home with my family.”

He is delighted that his family will be in the stands on Saturday night for Inter Miami’s MLS home opener against New York City FC (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). They will be rooting for “El Jefecito” (The Little Boss) as he begins the most important and challenging chapter of his short coaching career.

As has been the case since Messi arrived, Inter Miami remains the highest profile team in the league. According to Vivid Seats ticket marketplace, the top-selling MLS tickets so far this season are: Inter Miami at San Jose Earthquakes (average price $609), Inter Miami at New England Revolution ($333), Inter Miami at Houston Dynamo ($301), Inter Miami CF at Columbus Crew ($260), and Inter Miami at Chicago Fire ($223).

Mascherano, 40, played alongside Messi more than 400 times with Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He also spent years winning games with Suarez, Busquets and Alba. As a player, he was a tenacious and smart defensive midfielder and center back, known for his decision making, composure and leadership skills.

But playing with those four superstars and coaching them through a pressure-filled 34-game MLS season, Concacaf Champions Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and MLS-Liga MX Leagues Cup is a tall task for someone who has never coached at the professional level and has no MLS experience. His only managerial jobs have been with Argentina’s youth national teams.

According to Inter Miami players, Mascherano brought intensity and youthful energy to training and a determination to shore up a defense that was vulnerable at times last season. Winning 1v1 duels is a major focus at practice. He has promised that his team will be more organized defensively and shrink the gaps between the defense and the attack.

So far, so good.

Inter Miami went undefeated through five preseason games and escaped a bitter cold Champions Cup opening match in Kansas City Tuesday night with a 1-0 victory thanks to Messi.

The team boasts the league’s most expensive roster and remains a favorite to win the MLS Cup, although last season the men in pink fell short. They set a league record for most points in a regular season to secure the Supporters’ Shield, scored more goals than any other team, but were eliminated from the playoffs by Atlanta United in the first round.

“The loss to Atlanta was very painful for me, but there is no use dwelling on that,” Suarez said at the start of preseason. “What we must do is be self-critical as players. We feel disappointed because we did not meet the expectations of the fans or the club.

“We had broken the points record, but futbol is not about awards, it’s about what you do on the field. We were the best team the entire regular season, we needed to show that in that playoff game against Atlanta, and we didn’t. We have to learn from that and be reminded that nobody gives you anything. We were left with a bittersweet feeling.”

The four superstars are a year older now and their contracts expire at the end of 2025, though club owners hope at least Messi will hang on until Miami Freedom Park opens in 2026. The quartet’s time is running out to win trophies for Inter Miami.

Suarez, who had 20 goals and nine assists last MLS season, is 38 years old. Messi, who scored 20 goals and had 10 assists in 19 league games, turns 38 in June. Busquets turns 37 this summer and Alba is a few weeks shy of his 36th birthday.

Mascherano hopes to get the most of those four and says it has been a smooth transition from teammate to coach.

“Our relationship remains very natural,” Mascherano said. “We are all adults. We each know our role. We respect each other’s opinions. Maybe for me it’s a little different being on the other side, but the relationship is the same. It is not necessary to distance myself from them. It’s easier to work with people you know than people you don’t know. We experienced many wonderful times together and we can be totally honest with one another.”

Asked if he would have felt comfortable joining his former teammates at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Mascherano smiled and said, “Now that I’m a coach, I don’t have as much time as I did as a player.”

Mascherano’s fingerprints are on the 2025 roster, as he brought in 25-year-old Argentine winger Tadeo Allende, on loan from Celta Vigo, 23-year-old Argentine defender Gonzalo Luján from San Lorenzo, 21-year-old Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia, 22-year-old Argentine goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo and 27-year-old Uruguayan center back Maxi Falcon.

His one MLS addition was 33-year-old Haitian American forward Fafa Picault, who has South Florida roots and is a fan favorite.

“Fafa is delightful, speaks excellent Spanish, and arrived here extremely motivated,” Mascherano said. “We knew he was local, from Miami, so it was easy for him to adapt. And he has a great knowledge of the league and very good MLS stats. He has a lot of goals, assists and appearances.”

They replace the departed Leo Campana (traded to New England), Diego Gomez (gone to Brighton in the EPL), and Matias Rojas (gone to River Plate). A deep roster will be more essential than ever as Mascherano manages minutes in a jam-packed year with four tournaments and, he hopes, a deep MLS playoff run.

The MLS transfer window is open until April, and Mascherano said they hope to sign another player before then.

“We still have much to improve, there is a huge margin for us to get to the next level, but so far the team seems organized and that helps resolve a lot of problems during games,” he said. “I don’t feel pressure. I am trying to do my best to help the players have success. As a coach you need to see results, but we don’t analyze results. We analyze the game and how we play. The results are the consequence of what you do on the pitch.”

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