'Screwed' Inter Miami must make roster moves to be compliant

Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami CF, one of Major League Soccer's most exciting teams, kicks off the season with a home match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday. Before then, however, the team may have to jettison players.

According to The Athletic, Inter Miami is not currently compliant with MLS roster regulations and will need more allocation money or it must get rid of players before next week. By making trades and transfers, the club may have a chance to recoup some of the money it needs to support its roster.

Sources told The Athletic the situation was dire, with one person saying the team is "screwed."

Per The Athletic, key Miami players such as U.S. Men's National Team regular DeAndre Yedlin and Brazilian midfielders Jean Mota and Gregore are available for trades and transfers. Midfielder Robert Taylor and defender Sergii Kryvtsov are also available.

Per The Athletic, the team is also expected to trade, transfer or terminate the contract of French forward Corentin "Coco" Jean.

Inter Miami has 26 players on its senior roster. Along with Messi and Gregore, Miami's other designated player spot is held by Sergio Busquets, the longtime Barcelona captain who signed with Inter Miami in June.

Per The Athletic, Miami had 10 players over the maximum budget in 2023, including the three DPs. Two of those players — Josef Martínez and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez — left the club in the offseason. Miami also traded two players (Kamal Miller to the Portland Timbers and Chris McVey to D.C. United) to get allocation money.

But the team has also brought on new talent, stretching its pockets with acquisitions such as legendary striker Luis Suárez, USMNT defender Julian Gressel and center back Nicolas Freire (on loan from Pumas). The team is also finalizing a deal to sign young Argentinian midfielder Federico Redondo for a reported $8 million fee.

Although MLS hasn't announced specific roster rules for the 2024 season, the salary budget was $5.21 million for the senior roster last season. General allocation money and targeted allocation money were distributed to teams, allowing them to "buy down" contracts and help clubs stay within the salary cap.

Given that allocation money is not public, however, it is not clear how much Miami will need to cover the cost of the roster, or how much the team had left over from previous seasons. Still, it is clear Miami is in trouble and has much to figure out before kicking off the MLS season next week.