Lionel Messi loses two teammates as Noah Allen and David Ruiz depart Inter Miami

Inter Miami are undergoing significant roster changes as the 2026 MLS season heads toward its stretch run, with two teammates of Lionel Messi confirmed to be leaving the club before the transfer window closes. Defender Noah Allen and midfielder David Ruiz are both on their way out, joining separate clubs within the league.

According to Argentine transfer market expert Cesar Luis Merlo, the 22-year-old Allen will leave Inter Miami and join Eastern Conference rival Chicago Fire for a fee of $3 million. The move comes as Chicago bolster their backline ahead of a playoff push, also bringing in Norwegian international Andreas Hanche-Olsen from Mainz 05 in the same window.

Currently third in the Eastern Conference with 37 points, Chicago are on track for a second-straight Audi MLS Cup Playoffs appearance and are counting on Allen’s championship experience to help them make a deep postseason run.

Ruiz, a Honduran international, is heading to New York Red Bulls on loan for the remainder of the 2026 season with an option to buy. The midfielder skipped training with Inter Miami on Tuesday and traveled to New York to begin working immediately under head coach Michael Bradley.

The departures raise questions about Inter Miami’s depth just as the club manages injury issues and defensive shortcomings elsewhere on the roster. Despite a standout performance from Messi, who scored four goals in a blowout 7-1 win over CF Montreal, the Herons will now have to navigate the remainder of the season without two players who had featured prominently in their squad rotation this year.

Allen and Ruiz’s numbers at Inter Miami

Allen leaves Inter Miami as a product of the club’s own academy, having made his first-team debut in 2022 after coming through the Inter Miami CF II pathway. Across his four seasons with the first team, the defender tallied 133 appearances in all competitions — 98 of them in MLS — contributing 2 goals and 8 assists, while helping the club win the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield.

Allen also holds the distinction of being Inter Miami’s all-time appearance leader, having surpassed goalkeeper Drake Callender’s previous record of 118 games earlier this year.

Ruiz, who also progressed through Inter Miami’s system before making his senior debut in 2022, made 82 appearances for the first team across all competitions, 61 of them in MLS, scoring 4 goals and adding 3 assists. The Honduran midfielder was also part of the squad that won two titles before his loan move to the Red Bulls.