Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair opens up on his move to Inter Miami, 2026 World Cup
It was not just the warm weather and chance to play with Lionel Messi that enticed MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair to sign with Inter Miami this off-season, although those certainly were plusses.
The Canadian national team keeper, who spent the past seven years with Minnesota United, said the Miami ownership’s ambition and the pressure of playing for a league champion under a glaring global spotlight were the reasons he picked Miami over other suitors.
“I was in Minnesota for a long time, so when the opportunity presented itself in free agency, I was willing to listen to anyone and everyone,” St. Clair told the Herald Thursday during MLS Media Day at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center.
“My agent told me [Inter Miami] was one of the teams interested, and having conversations with everyone there, the goalie coach, especially, and knowing the ambition from the outside, that was really appealing to me. Obviously, it’s a big opportunity for me leading up to the World Cup, being in a global market where there’s a lot of pressure. That’s a new challenge for me and something I’m looking forward to.”
St. Clair, 28, had a phenomenal 2025 season. He posted 10 clean sheets, conceded 30 goals in 30 matches, and was a key reason the Loons finished fourth in the Western Conference and reached the conference semifinals.
“The World Cup is the biggest event in the world, so there’s global eyes there, there’s pressure, being one of the host nations there’s going to be pressure on us and viewers we maybe haven’t seen before, so it’s something that really aligned with my next six months and it felt like this was the right step for my career at this point in time,” he said.
His best friend is former Inter Miami defender Kamal Miller, who came up through the same Canadian youth teams, and he sought his advice before making the move.
St. Clair, whose mother is Scottish and father is from Trinidad and Tobago, is eager to immerse himself in South Florida’s large Caribbean community. He also is working on his Spanish.
“Trinidad is a much closer flight to Miami than Toronto or Minnesota, so I’m sure I’ll have more friends and family making their way to my games,” he said. “I also hope to bring more Caribbean people to follow our team.”
Inter Miami’s high-profile roster, lofty goals and willingness to spend big money make it a villain around the league, the team many opposing fans love to hate. But St. Clair and other players at MLS Media Day said Miami’s success should inspire other clubs to think bigger.
After the retirements of legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Inter Miami has made headlines this off-season by signing St. Clair, Argentine right back Facundo Mura, former Real Madrid and Tottenham left back Sergio Reguilon, and Brazilian center back Micael.
According to multiple club sources, Miami has also agreed to terms with Argentine midfielder David Ayala for a $2 million transfer from the Portland Timbers and is negotiating a $2.6 million deal to acquire MLS Defender of the Year Tristan Blackmon the Vancouver Whitecaps.
“From the outside, you see a team that has real ambitions and pushes the boundaries in order to push our league forward,” St. Clair said.
Evander, FC Cincinnati’s Brazilian star, agreed.
“I don’t see Inter Miami as villains, I think they are doing what the other teams should be doing,” Evander said. “They are strengthening their team with good players and that is a message to the other teams. They are making major investments with the arrival of Messi and other players so they can continue to grow. It’s a message for other teams to also invest and grow and create more competition within the league.”
Seattle Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas added: “The impact of Messi coming to Inter Miami is incredible. There have been far more eyes on our games and the league because of Messi and Inter Miami and the players they brought. That is good for Miami but also benefits the rest of us. Now, we can face Inter Miami in Seattle in front of 70,000 fans. That will help the league grow and motivate the players to get better because we can’t just let Miami win every year.”
Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, a U.S. national team member who has a good shot of playing in the 2026 World Cup, grew up in South Florida and attended American Heritage School from kindergarten through early high school. He played youth soccer at Weston FC and has kept close tabs on Inter Miami since being cut from its youth academy tryouts.
“It’s amazing what Messi and Inter Miami are doing for the league,” Freeman said. “They are bringing eyes not only to their team, but to all of MLS. I am grateful for that.”
Miami defender Noah Allen, a Pembroke Pines native who also got his start at Weston FC, is eager to kick off the season after a short break and vacation to Switzerland and Germany.
“Obviously, it was a very long season; we went 11 and a half months straight and it felt like almost two years, but it was a great feeling to end the season on a positive note winning the MLS Cup,” Allen said.
Asked if he feels like Inter Miami has a target on its back even more than before, Allen replied: “The truth is, and this is no disrespect to any other teams, I just think we have the highest standards in the league. We expect a lot from ourselves. We act like every game is a final. We want to give the fans good football and win every trophy we can win. Any talk…we don’t pay attention to it. We just focus on ourselves.”
Allen said he welcomes the new teammates
“I want to go into training every day to compete and help my team win, and competition is good,” he said. “Competition makes every player better and builds champions.
“I want to win every trophy. After winning MLS Cup, I’m hungry to win more. I’m happy they’re bringing in new players, new center backs, fullbacks, midfielders. There’s no handouts on this team, and that’s great.”
The team will have little time to prepare for the upcoming season.
Inter Miami opens training camp in mid-January and kicks off a three-game South American preseason tour on Jan. 24 with a game against Alianza Lima in Peru, followed by a Jan. 31 game against Atletico Nacional in Colombia and a Feb. 7 game against Barcelona de Guayaquil in Ecuador.
Miami’s 2026 MLS season opener is on the road Feb. 21 against Los Angeles FC at the historic L.A. Coliseum. The team will play the first five games away from home while construction of Miami Freedom Park Stadium is completed.
The first home game in the new stadium is scheduled for Apr. 4 against Austin FC. In mid-March, Inter Miami will compete in the Concacaf Champions Cup. They got a bye to the Round of 16 and will play at Nashville SC or Atletico Ottawa March. 11 in the first leg and return to Chase Stadium for the second leg Mar. 18.
Ticket information is available at intermiamicf.com/tickets
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 4:31 PM.