Rocco 'Blocco' or DSC? Who will start in goal tonight at Montréal? | OneFootball

St. Clair has struggled to adapt to the Herons' system

Inter Miami fandom is experiencing a soccer version of the NFL's Backup Quarterback Syndrome: Whenever a starter falters, the guy on the bench becomes everybody's favorite player.

Dayne St. Clair earned Major League Soccer's Goalkeeper of the Year award while playing for Minnesota United in 2025. He chose to sign with the defending MLS Cup champions despite a better offer from the Loons and arrived in South Florida with lofty expectations.

DSC hasn't been bad, exactly, but neither has he been good. He certainly is not playing up to the hype, primarily because Miami and Minnesota play drastically different styles. The Herons attack aggressively, leaving the backline and keeper vulnerable to quick counterattacks and expecting to outscore the other side; the Loons are more defensive, playing much lower (closer to their own goal) and hoping to exploit their opponent's mistakes on the fast break.

The Backseat Soccer Substack was among the first to note this critical difference and raise concerns about Miami acquiring St. Clair. That article goes into far more detail than I will here. Suffice it to say, the Herons should have seen that St. Clair might not be the right guy for the job.

St. Clair hasn't adjusted. For Minnesota last year, he conceded 30 goals in 30 league matches and recorded 10 clean sheets; in 14 matches for Las Garzas this year, he's given up 28 goals with 2 clean sheets. In 2025 he saved 119 of 157 shots for Minnesota (75.8 percent); this year, he's saved 41 of 69 (59.4 percent).

His swagger is gone; he lacks confidence and seems uncomfortable on the pitch. Losing Canada's starting keeper job to Maxime Crépeau before the World Cup didn't help his morale. The second half of the MLS season will test how the 29-year-old responds to adversity.

Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair warms up before Canada's World Cup match against Morocco. | Joe Buvid/ISI Photos/GettyImages

Ríos Novo earned fans trust in 2025 title run

Rocco "Blocco" Ríos Novo is waiting in the wings. He's five years younger (24 to 29) and five inches shorter (5-foot-10 to 6-foot-3) than St. Clair and, according to FBref.com, has 63 fewer appearances. But Ríos Novo has won two club championships: the 2025 MLS Cup with Inter Miami and the 2023 USL Championship with Phoenix Rising. According to Transfermarkt, St. Clair has never won a team trophy.

AND, although St. Clair has a much higher profile, Ríos Novo has similar career statistics. St. Clair's career save percentage is 70.4 (he's stopped 519 of 737 shots on target); Rocco's is 68.7 (347 of 505). St. Clair has 53 career clean sheets (29.1 percent of his matches played) to Ríos Novo's 29 (25.2 percent).

Most importantly, Ríos Novo proved he's a winner. Journeyman keeper (and Lionel Messi's close friend) Óscar Ustari started 2025 as the Herons' regular keeper, but injuries and suspensions gave Rocco plenty of playing time; finished the season with 14 wins, two losses and three draws.

After taking over the starting job in October, Ríos Novo helped Miami go 8-1 and on its way to its first MLS Cup title; he allowed just 8 goals in that stretch, less than a goal a game.

Rocco's whiff gave Chicago its first goal and complicated the debate

In just his second appearance of the year, Ríos Novo became internet famous for completely missing a pass from Ian Fray. The ball kept rolling right into the Herons' goal, and the Chicago Fire took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute. Fortunately, Miami got two goals from Luis Suárez and the winner from homegrown rookie Preston Plambeck in a 3-2 decision.

The result ensures the embarrassing miss will fade into memory as a funny story; we all have such moments, but rarely are they recorded for the world to see. Inter Miami fans on Reddit mostly dismissed the incident; Low 1959 Apache summed up my feelings: "I give RRN a break for what happened...he was rusty. It's been months since he played!"

Inter Miami will play at least 10 and as many as 13 matches before Sept. 6, depending on how well the Herons do in the 2026 Leagues Cup tournament. I'd like to see interim coach Guillermo Hoyos use St. Clair for league matches and Rocco Ríos Novo in Leagues Cup games; whoever wins his confidence should win the starting job for the stretch run.

Of course, the goalkeeper conundrum is another example of Miami's embarrassment of riches; Ríos Novo and St. Clair both are solid MLS players. But Inter Miami can't settle for solid; with their audacious ambitions, the Herons must strive for the very best.

Vamos, Las Garzas! And may the best keeper claim the job.