InterMiami Eyeing Fresh New Start Under Mascherano

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s generally proven to be the case with championship-winning sides, but not for Inter Miami. Having won the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters’ Shield in 2024 with an MLS record 74 points, Miami went all the way and won the biggest prize in American soccer after beating Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup Final. Since then, however, Miami have made quite a few changes, and when they travel to Los Angeles FC on Saturday, they will do so with a drastically different team.

Goalkeeper

There’s been a changing of the guard in between the sticks, with veterans Oscar Ustari and William Yarbrough departing upon the end of their contracts. Ustari started the 2025 season before being upstaged by his younger compatriot Rocco Ríos Novo, whose signing has been finalized for €500,000. Luís Barraza will go from the starter at D.C. United to a backup in Miami, with him and Dayne St. Clair arriving on free transfers. St. Clair has established himself not just as one of the best goalkeepers in MLS during his time at Minnesota United, earning praise from the likes of Vítor Severino, but he’s also locked down a starting spot in goal for the Canadian national team. He’s started in each of Miami’s three preseason fixtures, and all signs point to him doing just that in California this weekend.

Defense

After a season that saw them concede 55 goals – more than any other team in the Eastern Conference’s top seven sides – Miami have been hard at work at retooling their backline. Following the retirement of Jordi Alba, they’ve brought in ex-Europa League winner Sergio Reguilón, who boasts nearly a decade of Premier League and LaLiga experience. Whilst Reguilón will be occupying the left side of defense after joining on a free transfer, Facundo Mura will be replacing Marcelo Weigandt on the right side after arriving on a free from Racing Club. In central defense, they’ve offloaded Ryan Sailor and Tomás Avilés, and they’ve also acquired ex-Houston Dynamo center back Micael on loan from Palmeiras. Together, the Brazilian will be looking to form a stalwart pairing with Maxi Falcón in the middle of defense.

Midfield

Miami have spent €20 million to finalize the loan deals of Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende, whilst they’re also looking to splurge the cash and bring back Baltasar Rodríguez following his stellar loan spell. Whereas De Paul will be expected to transition from a box-to-box midfield role to a holding role following Sergio Busquets’ retirement, David Ayala will be looking to make a name for himself in the middle of the pitch. Having already shown signs of promise in MLS during his time in Portland, Ayala will be looking to compete against the likes of Yannick Bright and Telasco Segovia and stake out a starting spot in the center of the pitch.

Attack

The Herons have also made some changes in attack, splurging $15 million on Argentine-born Mexico international striker Germán Berterame, whilst they’ve also parted ways with two squad players in Allen Obando and Fafà Picault. Having scored 68 goals and 15 assists in 153 appearances during his time in Monterrey, Berterame will be looking to make a smooth transition from Liga MX to MLS and supplant Luis Suárez as Miami’s new starting striker. With an array of exciting new additions as well as the best players in the history of the sport, there’s no reason why Miami can’t become the first team to successfully retain the MLS Cup since LA Galaxy in 2012.