Lionel Messi's Inter Miami reloads for a run at a second straight MLS title

Less than three months removed from its first MLS Cup championship, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami shows no signs of a letdown.

The Herons have assembled one of the strongest rosters in Major League Soccer history heading into a season that begins this weekend and bookends around the biggest event of them all, the World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The ageless Messi — he turns 39 in June — is coming off his second straight MVP award, the first player in MLS history to accomplish that feat. He just keeps adding to a legacy that already ensures he'll be remembered as one of the greatest ever to play the beautiful game.

“He’s a quiet guy, but on the pitch he transforms into an animal,” teammate Yannick Bright told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. “After all he’s won, he never wants to lose, not even in training.”

Messi is hardly going it alone in Miami, which pulled off an impressive reload after bringing a title to South Florida.

MLS goalkeeper of the year Dayne St. Clair was lured away from Minnesota United, addressing the club's biggest area of concern. Germán Berterame arrived from Liga MX’s Monterrey to fill a designated player spot, giving the Herons another dynamic threat up front. Newcomers Micael, Sergio Reguilón and David Ayala should help the club cope with the departures of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

Miami begins its title defense Saturday night with a prime-time matchup against Los Angeles FC at the iconic Coliseum, which is expected to draw a crowd of more than 60,000.

Messi dealt with a muscle issue during the preseason, which put his availability for the opener in question. But he returned to full training this week and is expected to play.

Adding to the excitement in Miami, the Herons will hold the first game at their new Freedom Park stadium on April 4. The 25,000-seat facility completes a more than decade-long quest to build a soccer-specific stadium within the city.

The Vancouver Whitecaps, who were bolstered by the summer signing of longtime German star Thomas Müller, reached the final of both the MLS Cup and CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2025.

They came up short in both games, losing 3-1 to Messi's squad for the league title and 5-0 to Mexico's Cruz Azul for the continental championship. With Müller set for his first full season in MLS, the Whitecaps are eager to bring home a trophy.

Los Angeles FC could the strongest club this side of South Florida, with Son Heung-Min also set for full campaign after his midseason arrival from Tottenham Hotspur provided a dynamic pairing with Denis Bouanga.

“I let Messi win this year,” Son joked during a December visit to Tottenham, "but next year … we’ll be at the top.”

Also keep an eye on the Philadelphia Union, which claimed the Supporters' Shield for the league's best record during the regular season, and Minnesota United FC with its newest addition, Colombian icon James Rodríguez on a short-term deal.

The league's 30 clubs will have to navigate a seven-week shutdown while the expanded World Cup is held in North America.

MLS stadiums in Atlanta, New England, Seattle, Vancouver and Toronto will host World Cup matches, and many of the league's training facilities will be utilized by nations from around the globe.

The unique schedule has led to some strange quirks in the schedule, such as Atlanta United going more than three months between home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

When MLS resumes play in mid-July, it will be interesting to see which teams do the best job of handling the long layoff.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-Min (7) looks to take control of the ball against Austin FC during the second half of Game 2 in the first round of MLS soccer's Western Conference playoffs Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman, File)

FILE - Inter Miami's Lionel Messi hoists the trophy alongside teammates after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup final soccer match, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

MILAN (AP) — Nine hours before playing the latest big game of his life, Dylan Larkin knew what was at stake for him and his U.S. teammates at the Olympics.

“For all of us, it’s two games for legacy,” Larkin said.

Larkin then took his legacy in his own hands, scoring the first goal in a 6-2 victory over Slovakia on Friday night that put the U.S. into the gold-medal game against Canada.

Now 29 and five months shy of turning 30, winning a gold medal at the Games would be by far the biggest accomplishment of Larkin's hockey career. The Michigan native has yet to win any of the seven tournaments he has represented his country at internationally as an adult, and he has never won a playoff series in his first decade in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, skating in just one.

All that losing over the years has made Larkin a sympathetic character on sports' biggest stage.

“We root for all the guys, but Larks in particular, he’s gone through the experience that he’s gone through in Detroit," coach Mike Sullivan said. "He’s a great teammate. All he wants to do is win. He’s willing to embrace anything we ask of him to do so, and he’s capable in so many ways. Am I rooting for him? Absolutely.”

Like at the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago, Sullivan and his staff asked Larkin to play a depth, grinding role and kill penalties at the Olympics. In addition to that, Larkin scored a goal in each of the two knockout round games and had an assist in round-robin play.

“He's been great,” teammate Vincent Trocheck said. “He’s played a lot of international hockey, and when we come to these tournaments — this year, last year — he steps up as a leader, as well.”

It was a challenge by Larkin, a regular at the world championship, that got NHL players like Tage Thompson and Clayton Keller to attend last year. Larkin only missed it for family reasons, the U.S. won the tournament for the first time since 1933 and Thompson and Keller made the Olympic team in part because of their contributions.

Larkin is nearly a point-a-game producer for Detroit, which is on track to end its lengthy playoff drought that dates to 2016. He also seems to raise his level of play when there's “USA” on his chest, a graduate of the U.S. National Team Development Program and a gold medalist at the 2014 under-18 worlds.

“USA Hockey means the world to me, and I’m here because of USA Hockey, the National Team Development Program,” Larkin said. “Sully’s talked about the number of guys that have won a gold medal as men’s hockey players for the U.S., and it’s a small number. We’d like to be a part of that and inspire kids for generations to come.”

Beating Canada on Sunday would put Larkin and the rest of the U.S. on top of the hockey world. It is another chance for him to make a difference, which teammates have enjoyed seeing so far.

“Dylan’s a huge part of our team,” forward J.T. Miller said. "He can literally do anything, play any situation, either end of the rink. Awesome that we have him.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Dylan Larkin (21) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a men's ice hockey semifinal game between United States and Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

United States' Dylan Larkin (21) watches as his shot is blocked by Slovakia goalkeeper Samuel Hlavaj during the first period of a men's ice hockey semifinal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)