‘I’m surrounded by the best players in the world’ - Dayne St. Clair on joining Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and boosting his Canada World Cup hopes

Dayne St. Clair was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year after a career-best season for Minnesota United, yet surprised many when he left the club that drafted him to suit up for Inter Miami. But he has no regrets.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - It was time for Dayne St. Clair to move on. Minnesota had been good to him, the Western Conference side relying on the Canadian between the sticks for three full seasons. St. Clair had repaid them with numerous top performances and the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award as a result. But free agency brought opportunity, and St. Clair had his ears open.

"You get to kind of hear what everyone has to say. Going into free agency was the first time that I had the opportunity to kind of have a say in where I go. So I was willing to listen to anyone and everyone and what they had to say," he tells GOAL.

Everyone was considered. He could have even re-signed with Minnesota. And then Miami made their pitch.

"Once [Miami] came in and started to talk about the project and where they saw things going and how they saw me fitting into it, I felt like it was the best decision for me," he says.

St. Clair has been a crucial part of a massive recruiting effort for the Herons this offseason, the reigning MLS Champions building from a position of strength by making top signings all over the pitch. In St. Clair, they have found an elite goalkeeper. And for the Canadian himself, it makes sense, not least because he needs to be playing in multiple competitions to test himself ahead of the World Cup.

"Being at a team that's playing higher profile games in terms of playing CONCACAF Champions Cup, a brand new stadium. I'm also being surrounded by the best players in the world; it was something that ticked all of the boxes and was a new challenge," he adds.

The Canadian goalkeeper talked Inter Miami, why he left Minnesota, and how Canada manager Jesse Marsch influenced the decision in GOAL Convo, a weekly Q&A with central figures in North American soccer...

Inter Miami
ON MOVING TO MIAMI
GOAL: I wanted to start with your big move. Why Miami and why now?
ST. CLAIR: Yeah, as a free agent, you get to kind of hear what everyone has to say. Going into free agency was the first time that I had the opportunity to kind of have a say in where I go. So I was willing to listen to anyone and everyone and what they had to say. And then once [Miami] came in and started to talk about the project and where they saw things going and how they saw me fitting into it, I felt like it was the best decision for me. And with the World Cup coming eventually, that was a big focus for me, putting myself in a situation where I felt like I could be successful. And of course, for multiple reasons one could assume, being at a team that's playing higher profile games in terms of playing CONCACAF Champions Cup, a brand new stadium. I'm also being surrounded by the best players in the world; it was something that ticked all of the boxes and was a new challenge.
GOAL: You must get asked this all the time now, but how much of an influence was a certain little Argentine? You're going to be playing with Lionel Messi...
ST. CLAIR: I think that's a bonus in terms of all the other things that the club has to offer. Obviously, he's preparing for a World Cup as well, to go and defend it. So I think kind of seeing his processes and being surrounded by other people that have the ambitions at the World Cup, and anytime that guy's on your team, the expectation is to win and to lift trophies. And it's something that I want to do in my career to be able to lift trophies and to have those expectations and that pressure is a privilege.

Getty Images Sport
ON LEAVING MINNESOTA
GOAL: Was it hard leaving Minnesota?
ST. CLAIR: Of course. I had some some great moments there, and I built a lot of things, but I think when the when the opportunity came up to join Miami, it was something that I definitely took a lot of time thinking about, but I felt like it was the right decision for me at this point in my career to be able to kind of see something new.
Getty Images Sport
ON INTER MIAMI'S MLS CUP HOPES
GOAL: You guys are now the defending champs. What's that like? I mean, is there pressure? Is there excitement? How would you describe it?
ST. CLAIR: Yeah, I think it's obviously been a long time since the team's repeated. But like I said, the expectation for us is to win everything that we're a part of. I think with the team that we're building, the expectation from last year, and the standard now, is to lift trophies.
GOAL: Some of the signings have been impressive...
ST. CLAIR: Oh yeah. So I think not only the MLS Cup is something that we have our eyes on, but there are multiple other trophies that we're looking forward to, not only competing for, but winning.

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AFP
ON THE CANADIAN NATIONAL TEAM
GOAL: I wanted to ask about Canada. You referenced how this move could put you in higher-profile games. Was that something that was on your mind with the national team as well? Do you need to be in those spots?
ST. CLAIR: One hundred percent. I wanted to be able to put my best foot forward at the World Cup and give myself the best opportunity to make sure that I'm the one starting in goal. I think putting myself in a global market before a global tournament, you get some of those same feelings and things and pressurized moments in those games. Playing CONCACAF Champions Cup, of course, is a bigger profile game, and experiencing tournament football, managing things like that. I thought that it was the right move for me, not only for my club, but to be able to help me with my country, as well.
GOAL: Did you talk to Jesse [Marsch] about it, as well?
ST. CLAIR: I mean, I think, as everyone knows, he's such a player-focused manager. He was like, "I'm going to support you, whatever decision you make." It got kind of flipped on me a little to tell him the things that I was thinking about, the different options that I had, and he thought that mine would be a good option for some of the things that I've mentioned, and obviously wished me the best, and kind of being able to move on. But I think the thing that he was like, I'll support you wherever you go, like your job, obviously, is to put yourself in the spot where you're the one who has to feel comfortable. So I'm not going to force you to go anywhere or do anything you don't feel comfortable with. But I do think that it could potentially be a good move.

ON MOVING TO MIAMI

ON LEAVING MINNESOTA

ON INTER MIAMI'S MLS CUP HOPES

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ON THE CANADIAN NATIONAL TEAM