So, what\u2019s in store for this year\u2019s version of Inter Miami?\u00a0Based on their star-studded offseason, more trophies should be expected.<\/p>\n
Key players left the club this winter, most notably with legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba both retiring<\/a>. But by adding a Premier League veteran, Concacaf stars and MLS award winners, Miami strengthened their weaknesses and reinforced their strengths. Now they look closer to a superteam than any team in the league\u2019s 30-year history.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s who signed on to play with\u00a0Lionel Messi<\/a> and Inter Miami in 2026, starting with a Walmart Saturday Showdown match against LAFC<\/a> at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (9:30 pm ET |\u00a0Apple TV<\/a>).<\/p>\n Before we get into the new signings, it\u2019s important to recognize a couple of Miami\u2019s returning stars.<\/p>\n \n Rodrigo De Paul<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with\u00a0Rodrigo De Paul<\/a>, who was inked to a permanent deal<\/a> after Inter Miami exercised their transfer option on the Atl\u00e9tico Madrid midfielder. De Paul, who helped fuel the club\u2019s MLS Cup run after arriving on loan last summer, is now a Designated Player.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll start in central midfield, likely ahead of a deep-lying defensive midfielder (more on that later). With quality ball progression skills and strength to win duels, as we\u2019ve seen over and over again with Argentina, De Paul will be a valuable pillar for Inter Miami.<\/p>\n \n Tadeo Allende<\/p>\n Further up the field,\u00a0Tadeo Allende<\/a> is back. Now signed on a permanent deal<\/a> after spending last season in Miami on loan from LaLiga club Celta de Vigo, Allende is fresh off a record-setting postseason goal tally<\/a>.<\/p>\n With his sharp off-ball movement and eagerness to run in behind and to crash the box from the weak side, Allende is an excellent fit alongside Inter Miami\u2019s other attackers. Crucially, the forward returned on a non-DP deal, which allowed Inter Miami the flexibility to sign one more such player alongside Messi and De Paul.<\/p>\n \n Germ\u00e1n Berterame<\/p>\n Speaking of DPs, Miami applied that roster designation to new striker Germ\u00e1n Berterame<\/a>. Born in Argentina but representing Mexico on the international stage, the 27-year-old arrived from LIGA MX giants CF Monterrey for a reported $15 million transfer fee.<\/p>\n With double-digit goals in four of his last five seasons, Berterame brings a reliable scoring presence to Miami as a well-rounded No. 9.\u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond his own abilities, Berterame provides another layer of versatility for head coach Javier Mascherano.<\/p>\n While a front three of Allende and\u00a0Mateo Silvetti<\/a> flanking Messi in a 4-3-3 worked a treat to close out last year\u2019s playoffs, Berterame\u2019s arrival could create a path for Miami to use different looks. The new forward could play up top between Allende and Silvetti, with Messi underneath as a No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1. He could play alongside Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a> in a 4-4-2. The possibilities are numerous.<\/p>\n Plus, with Berterame’s experience in the Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a>, a competition Inter Miami are prioritizing this year, he could help the Herons earn a path back to the next FIFA Club World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n David Ayala<\/p>\n With Busquets\u2019 retirement, Inter Miami had a hole to fill at the base of their midfield. Enter\u00a0David Ayala<\/a>.<\/p>\n Acquired in a cash trade<\/a> that sent at least $2 million to the Portland Timbers<\/a>, Ayala joins Miami on a salary cap-friendly U22 Initiative contract. While the Argentine is a vastly different player than Busquets (most players are!), he\u2019s just beginning to enter his prime and showed a well-rounded skillset with the Timbers.<\/p>\n Of course, his ball progression won\u2019t measure up to his predecessor. But the 23-year-old offers progressive passing and provides an extra portion of ground coverage compared to Busquets.<\/p>\n Between Ayala and returner Yannick Bright<\/a>, Inter Miami have more steel at the base of midfield than at any point since the club\u2019s Messi era began in July 2023.<\/p>\n \n Sergio Reguil\u00f3n<\/p>\n Alba\u2019s historically excellent attacking contributions from left back will be missed in Miami, there\u2019s little doubt about that. But\u00a0Sergio Reguil\u00f3n<\/a> brings an impressive profile as the club\u2019s new left back. The 29-year-old has played for some of the world\u2019s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, Atl\u00e9tico Madrid and Manchester United (he was most recently at Tottenham Hotspur).\u00a0<\/p>\n Reguil\u00f3n won\u2019t provide Alba\u2019s same attacking thrust, which will put more pressure on Inter Miami\u2019s forwards to create chances for themselves. But he should still bring well-above-average attacking play to the left wing while providing a noticeable upgrade on Alba\u2019s defensive work.<\/p>\n Thanks to the increased defensive attentiveness from Reguil\u00f3n and Miami\u2019s newly formed backline, this team should be stronger without the ball in 2026 than they were in either of their last two trophy-winning seasons.<\/p>\n \n Facundo Mura<\/p>\n Signed from Racing Club in Argentina,\u00a0Facundo Mura<\/a> brings more competition to Inter Miami\u2019s defense. The 26-year-old joined as part of Miami\u2019s defensive overhaul and will\u00a0compete with Jamaican international\u00a0Ian Fray<\/a> for the starting right back\u00a0position.<\/p>\n Mura, 26, has played over 200 matches in Argentina throughout his career and was a member of La Albiceleste\u2019s youth team that competed at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.<\/p>\n \n Micael<\/p>\n One of the best central defenders in recent MLS history is back in the league, folks.<\/p>\n After moving from Houston<\/a> to Brazilian giants Palmeiras last season for the Dynamo\u2019s club-record outgoing transfer fee<\/a>, Micael<\/a> has joined Inter Miami\u00a0on loan<\/a> for the season with a purchase option.<\/p>\n A naturally left-footed player with good strength to win challenges and impressive range to sweep up behind the backline, the 25-year-old Brazilian will elevate Miami by taking some of the defensive burden off his more attacking teammates. In possession, he’s comfortable on the ball in buildup \u2013 lest we forget, he emerged as a star during his time in Ben Olsen\u2019s possession-heavy setup down in Texas.<\/p>\n Across the board, Micael is a perfect fit to start in the back for Inter Miami. Few in MLS have his set of tools.<\/p>\n \n Dayne St. Clair<\/p>\n If Inter Miami had one obvious weakness last season, it was in goal.\u00a0\u00d3scar Ustari<\/a> struggled for most of the season before losing the starting job to Rocco R\u00edos Novo<\/a>. To credit R\u00edos Novo, who\u2019s back again in 2026, the young Argentine goalkeeper was a major improvement and came up big at times in the postseason.<\/p>\n But with Dayne St. Clair<\/a> in the fold? There\u2019s little doubt that Inter Miami upgraded.<\/p>\n By signing<\/a> the reigning Goalkeeper of the Year<\/a> in free agency, Miami gave themselves a rare level of assurance in between the posts. Only Sean Johnson<\/a> saved more goals over expected last year than the former Minnesota United FC<\/a> goalkeeper, as per FBref.\u00a0<\/p>\n With skill in penalty shootouts that could provide a boost in knockout competitions and plenty of quick-twitch athletic saves in his locker, the Canadian international can shine in a spot where Inter Miami struggled last season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"So, what\u2019s in store for this year\u2019s version of Inter Miami?\u00a0Based on their star-studded offseason, more trophies should…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162367,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[56987,26641,77713,67363,5429,123,125,124,56001,75441,4959,67060,29642],"class_list":{"0":"post-162366","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami","8":"tag-david-ayala","9":"tag-dayne-st-clair","10":"tag-facundo-mura","11":"tag-german-berterame","12":"tag-inter-miami-cf","13":"tag-miami","14":"tag-miami-headlines","15":"tag-miami-news","16":"tag-micael-dos-santos-silva","17":"tag-mls-is-back","18":"tag-sendtonews","19":"tag-sergio-reguilon","20":"tag-voices-joseph-lowery"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162366\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}