Inter Miami have reloaded for 2026 in a way no other MLS team could have

Lionel Messi's presence has been crucial to the defending champions' excellent offseason

Winning MLS Cup brings only a couple guaranteed returns: the cup itself and a cash prize ($300,000, roughly the salary of one MLS backup defender). Historically, it has also ushered in a near-mandatory squad rebuild, a consequence of MLS's parity-driven design. With rare exceptions, great teams find it nigh-on-impossible to keep the band together, or to improve on what they already have.

Not so for Inter Miami this year. After a slew of high-powered offseason additions capped by Friday's $15m capture of Monterrey striker German Berterame, a historically fortunate franchise has gotten even better; completely unlike the 29 MLS Cup champions that preceded them.