Inter Miami announces departure of important Lionel Messi teammate ahead of 2026 MLS season
Inter Miami remain in the midst of a roster rebuild during the winter transfer window, with less than one month remaining before the start of the 2026 Major League Soccer season. As the club continues to fine-tune its squad, the Herons have now officially confirmed the departure of an important teammate of Lionel Messi ahead of the upcoming campaign.
The club announced Monday that Inter Miami and goalkeeper Óscar Ustari have mutually agreed to terminate his contract. The 39-year-old, who spent a season and a half with the organization based in Fort Lauderdale, will now move on after his time with the Herons comes to an end.
After his contract with Audax Italiano expired, Inter Miami signed Ustari as a free agent in September 2024. He went on to be part of the squad that captured the 2024 Supporters’ Shield, setting a league record for the most points in a single regular MLS season.
During the 2025 season, Ustari stepped into the starting role after Drake Callender lost his spot due to injury, also serving as the team’s goalkeeper at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. By the end of the year, however, he had relinquished the starting job, finishing the season with 40 appearances, 61 goals conceded, and 9 clean sheets across all competitions.
Ustari previously shared the field with Messi in Argentina’s youth national teams, including the U-20 World Cup-winning squad in 2005 and the Olympic gold medal team in 2008. One of the veterans of the locker room, the Argentine departs Inter Miami with a Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup added to his trophy collection.
Who’ll cover the posts at Inter Miami now?
In the Eligible Player Lists for Offseason Roster Mechanisms published by MLS in December, Inter Miami placed Marcelo Weigandt, Rocco Ríos-Novo, and Óscar Ustari in Stage 1 of the Re-Entry Process. With William Yarbrough no longer on the roster and Ríos-Novo returning to Lanús, Ustari had been the club’s lone goalkeeper until Inter Miami secured a replacement.
That replacement is expected to be Dayne St. Clair. The Canadian international joined on a free transfer after his contract with Minnesota United expired following the 2025 MLS season, one in which he was named Goalkeeper of the Year and earned a spot on the league’s Best XI.
In addition, Inter Miami have bolstered their depth by re-signing Rocco Ríos-Novo, who impressed during the club’s MLS Cup run late last season. Most recently, the Herons also announced the signing of former New York City FC goalkeeper Luis Barraza on a deal through June 2027 with an option for 2028, giving the club three goalkeeping options and ultimately leaving Ustari without a role going forward.