When Inter Miami open their preseason tour against Club América in Las Vegas, all eyes will be on Lionel Messi. Two months after Inter Miami crashed out of the MLS Cup playoffs, the Herons are back in action ahead of the 2025 Major League Soccer season.

Lionel Messi is back. Inter Miami CF convened for its first day of preseason training on Monday, but the surroundings look starkly different from the last time the Argentinian took the field with his South Florida squad.

Meanwhile, forward Fafa Picault, one of the new players in Inter Miami camp, is feeling at home. The 33-year-old Haitian American spent his teen years in Cutler Bay, where his family still lives. He attended Miami Killian High School and played for local youth clubs and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers before heading overseas.