Guillermo Hoyos has only been the interim coach of Inter Miami CF for one week, during which time they have played — and won — two away games.
But the glory for that success, he said, goes to God.
In a postgame press conference after Inter Miami’s 2-0 win against Real Salt Lake in Sandy, Utah, Hoyos repeatedly referenced his faith and gratitude for God.
“It makes me emotional because we live with faith,” he said in Spanish. “We thank God for the victory and we offer the victory to him.”
Hoyos was appointed Inter Miami interim coach after head coach Javier Mascherano left the club on April 14. He previously coached Miami’s star player, Argentine forward Lionel Messi, in Barcelona’s youth academy 20 years ago, per ESPN.
Real Salt Lake vs. Inter Miami
Hoyos also shared his gratitude for Real Salt Lake and his own players. He began the press conference by thanking the team’s Utah hosts.
“It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s a beautiful city,” he said. “They have treated us phenomenally.”
Hoyos lauded the performance of Real Salt Lake, which he called a “strong team.” Although Miami won, the play was equal for much of the game — Salt Lake put up a good fight with numerous shots on goal and several spectacular saves.
“We played against a great team,” he said. “It’s obvious that they also attack, they also play, they’re quality. ... It’s been a lovely night of soccer, and I congratulate that.”
On a personal note, Hoyos thanked Miami’s players not just for their “collective action” but also for the spirit with which they compete.
“I believe that when we are soccer players and we show that with heart, the effort that is made has no price,” he said. “Because the players are in love with soccer. And these people are great human beings.”
‘We thank God for the victory’
Speaking of Inter Miami’s repeated success, both as a team and for individual players, Hoyos acknowledged the role of the divine and credited the victory to God.
“That’s why we have never stopped being players,” he said. “These are happy moments, but with prudence and silence and values. As I always say, you have to keep working, keep doing and growing, and work through the silence, which is the way to grow, too.”
Lionel Messi has similarly credited God with his success.
“It’s very clear to me that I was born like this because God chose me,” Messi told Argentine podcaster Juan Pablo Varsky in 2024.
On another occasion, Messi spoke to Argentine journalist Andy Kusnetzoff about the prayer he offered as Argentina faced off against France to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“I always talk to (God),” he said. “I thank him, I ask him for everything, for the wellbeing of my family, my loved ones.”
Hoyos ended Wednesday’s press conference with another proclamation of faith.
“May God bless you,” he told the assembled reporters, pointing at each. “Do not stop having faith, because faith moves everything.”