The storm of confetti had barely been cleared from Chase Stadium in early December when Inter Miami — still awash in MLS Cup revelry and ravenous for a second trophy — was back at work retooling inventory and identifying pieces to accompany the luminous Lionel Messi on another bubbly voyage.
Needing a goalkeeping upgrade, the champions went out and signed one of Major League Soccer’s best, free agent Dayne St. Clair, from Minnesota.
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Needing to fill the void left by the retired Jordi Alba at left back, Tottenham Hotspur’s Sergio Reguilón joined the party.
Another forward, you say? Monterrey star Germán Berterame from the Mexican national team was on the way.
For those reasons, among others, the pink-splashed Floridians will begin MLS’ 2026 campaign this weekend with high hopes of becoming the first repeat champions in 14 years.
Miami also converted two 2025 loans into permanent acquisitions: Argentines Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende, who set a playoff record with nine goals in six matches. De Paul will step into a larger role following Sergio Busquets’ retirement.
(Illustration by Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports illustration)
Messi, who has won consecutive MVP awards, has shown no signs of slowing down, compiling 57 goals and 45 assists in 62 regular season and playoff appearances. But this is a World Cup year, and with him expected to play for reigning champion Argentina one last time, don’t be surprised when he and Miami manage his minutes the first part of the season. He was nursing a hamstring injury late in preseason.
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The club will begin its title defense with five away matches before christening Freedom Park, a 25,000-seater near Miami International Airport that sits 30 miles south of its makeshift stadium used the past six seasons.
Here are 11 other talking points ahead of Major League Soccer’s 31st season:
Will MLS keep playing during the World Cup?
No way. The summer belongs to the World Cup. MLS will go dark for seven weeks starting May 25 — 17 days before the tournament begins — and resume a few days before the July 19 cup final.
Five stadiums used by MLS teams (Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle, Atlanta and New England) are reserved for tournament matches, while multiple MLS training facilities will host World Cup teams.
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Besides, with an international soccer spectacle on home ground consuming attention, MLS understands it needs to just get the heck out of the way.
For fitness and sharpness purposes, MLS teams will continue training (and playing informal matches) during the break.
The longest scheduled pause in league history will push the regular season to its latest end date (Nov. 7) and extend the playoffs deep into December. MLS is praying Minnesota, Montreal or any northern team isn’t the host.
Didn’t MLS vote to change the schedule calendar, so it wouldn’t have summer conflicts anymore?
It did, but the move does not go into effect until 2027-28, when the adjusted schedule will largely mirror European calendars (late summer to late spring). In colder months, MLS has promised to prioritize indoor and warm-weather venues just before and after a planned winter break.
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So enjoy the last season contained within a calendar year. To fill the gap between the end of this season and the later-starting 2027-28 campaign, MLS will conduct a sprint season early next year, complete with MLS Cup.
Lionel Messi returns to MLS with Inter Miami aiming for another championship amid a World Cup year.
(MARCOS PIN via Getty Images)
MLS wants to become one of the top leagues in the world, but is it there yet?
No, it still has a ways to go. For now, never mind the world; the first step is becoming consistently successful in these parts, clunkily known as CONCACAF. The region’s annual competition is the Champions Cup, which, in MLS’ early years, was won by D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy two years apart.
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Since 2001, however, the Seattle Sounders are the only MLS team to hoist the trophy. In that time, clubs from Mexico’s Liga MX — the measuring stick for MLS — have claimed 21 crowns. MLS has made progress, sending a representative to the final five of the previous six years, but in last year’s championship game, Cruz Azul blasted Vancouver 5-0.
This year’s MLS candidates: Miami, Vancouver, Seattle, L.A. Galaxy, Los Angeles FC, Philadelphia, San Diego, Cincinnati and Nashville.
Could the ascending Whitecaps really descend out of Vancouver?
On the surface, the Whitecaps have strengthened their place in British Columbia after years of mediocrity with appearances in both the MLS Cup and Champions Cup finals last season and a resurgence at the box office, thanks in part to German star Thomas Müller’s summer arrival.
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The organization, however, claims it can’t generate enough revenue playing at BC Place, which is owned and operated by the provincial government. The sides recently agreed to a 2026 lease, and the Whitecaps reached a non-binding agreement with the city to explore building their own stadium.
Without significant change to the current arrangement or a deal for a new venue, it’s hard to see a future in Vancouver for the Whitecaps, who have been an MLS member since 2011 but on the market for more than a year.
NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese is making a strong case to be USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino’s leading option in goal for the 2026 World Cup.
(Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Are any MLS players going to make the U.S. World Cup roster?
Yes, several. More than a dozen are in the running for a place on Mauricio Pochettino’s 26-man squad, headed by New York City goalkeeper Matt Freese, Columbus left back Max Arfsten and Charlotte center back Tim Ream.
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New England goalkeeper Matt Turner, Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson, Vancouver midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, Seattle midfielder Cristian Roldan and Real Salt Lake attacker Diego Luna have made their case, as well.
The Canadian World Cup squad will also include several MLS players.
Which U.S. players from abroad have joined MLS teams?
All the top U.S. national team players in Europe remain there, but goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, a 2022 World Cup back-up who spent a dozen years abroad, signed with Red Bull New York. Joining him in Harrison, New Jersey, are two young returnees: right back Justin Che (Brondby/Denmark) and forward Cade Cowell (on loan from Chivas Guadalajara), who has made 11 national team appearances.
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Others of note: St. Louis midfielder Dante Polvara (Aberdeen/Scotland) and New England midfielder Griffin Yow (Westerlo/Belgium).
Colombia’s James Rodriguez brings star power and vision to Minnesota United.
(Jordan Bank via Getty Images)
Aside from Miami adding Berterame, are any international arrivals moving the needle?
The most exciting arrival is in Minnesota: Colombian superstar James Rodríguez, the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner who captains the national team but has bounced around the globe seeking club stability. His contract runs only through June, with a club option for an additional six months.
Since leaving Everton in 2021, the 34-year-old ringleader has played in Qatar, Greece, Brazil, Spain and Mexico, totaling 17 goals and 26 assists in 102 matches. His enormous popularity — almost 52 million Instagram followers — will elevate his new club and the league, but will on-field influence and impact follow before he heads to the World Cup?
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San Jose used a designated player slot to sign Timo Werner, the 29-year-old German forward who, amid injury setbacks, fizzled at Chelsea and Tottenham and fell off the national team radar after tallying 24 times. He has not scored a league goal in almost two years.
Who left MLS?
D.C. said goodbye to striker Christian Benteke, the 2024 Golden Boot winner who, in the twilight of his career, has landed in the United Arab Emirates.
Two top young talents transferred to La Liga clubs: right back Alex Freeman from Orlando to Villarreal for up to a reported $7 million and midfielder Obed Vargas from Seattle to Atlético Madrid for $3.5 million. Chicago sold winger Brian Gutiérrez to Chivas Guadalajara.
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Veteran goalkeepers Pedro Gallese (Orlando to Deportivo Cali), Carlos Coronel (Red Bull New York to São Paulo) and Maarten Paes (Dallas to Ajax) departed, while Philadelphia sold defender Kai Wagner to Birmingham City.
What were the most notable moves within the league?
Following St. Clair’s free-agent move to Miami, fellow goalkeeping standout Sean Johnson (Toronto) signed with D.C.
Nashville bolstered a potent attack by signing free agent midfielder Cristian Espinoza, who posted 36 goals and 70 assists in seven seasons at San Jose. He’ll collaborate with striker Sam Surridge (24 goals last year) and attacker Hany Mukhtar (82 goals, 49 assists in six seasons).
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Nashville, though, lost two key figures: free agent center back Walker Zimmerman to Toronto and winger Jacob Shaffelburg in a trade with LAFC, which strengthened an already scary attack featuring Korean superstar Son Heung Min and Denis Bouanga (64 goals in three seasons).
Philadelphia shook things up by trading 16-goal scorer Tai Baribo to D.C. and MLS Best XI defender Jakob Glesnes to the Galaxy. Seeking to return to contention after a poor 2025, the 2024 champion Galaxy bolstered its front line by acquiring João Klauss (10 goals) from St. Louis.
U.S. national team midfielder Luca de la Torre will play for Charlotte after spending last year in San Diego on loan from Spain’s Celta de Vigo.
Who are the most intriguing new coaches?
Gerardo “Tata” Martino returns to Atlanta, where, eight years ago, he won the MLS crown. In between, he guided the Mexican national team and Inter Miami.
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Michael Bradley, the former U.S. national team standout, was promoted by Red Bull New York after less than a year in charge of the club’s developmental squad (his first head role). Marko Mitrovic, who oversaw the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, takes over in New England.
Is it any easier to watch MLS matches?
Yes, it is, but you’ll still need Apple TV to view most matches. The difference from the previous three years is everything will now be available on that platform without a supplemental subscription to MLS Season Pass.
If you have Apple TV, you’ll get more than 500 matches, including Leagues Cup, the summer tournament with MLS and Liga MX teams. In addition, 15 MLS matches will appear on Fox and 19 on FS1. (All 34 are on Fox Deportes.)
The season kicks off Saturday with 13 matches, headlined by LAFC hosting Miami at the historic Coliseum, which sits across Exposition Park from LAFC’s 22,000-seat BMO Stadium.
