Julian Gressel, one of the top MLS free agents, signs three-year deal with Inter Miami

Inter Miami, which made international headlines last year with the signings of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and most recently Luis Suarez, turned to the domestic market for its latest acquisition.

The club announced Wednesday that it signed reigning MLS Cup champion and U.S. national team wingback/midfielder Julian Gressel through the 2026 season, with an option for 2027. Gressel, 30, was one of the most coveted MLS free agents this off-season after helping lead the Columbus Crew to the league title. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. He made $930,406 with the Crew last season.

Gressel will reunite with coach Tata Martino, with whom he won his first MLS Cup title in 2018 when they were both with Atlanta United.

“Julian is an established player with a winning track record in the league who has proven himself at every stage during his MLS career,” said Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson. “We are pleased to add him to our squad as his versatility and quality delivery will bolster Inter Miami as we look to build on the successes of last season in 2024.”

Gressel was born in Germany, moved to the United States in 2011, became a U.S. citizen Nov. 5, 2022, and played for the U.S. national team in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

“I’m thrilled to be joining such an ambitious organization as Inter Miami for this new chapter in my career,” Gressel said. “I’m ready to get to work and use my experience in this league to help my new teammates and this great club achieve its dream of winning more titles.”

Gressel played four years of college soccer at Providence before being drafted No. 8 by Atlanta United in 2017. He has spent his entire professional career in MLS with 27 goals and 68 assists in 228 games. He joined the Columbus Crew midway through last season and helped lead the team to the league title.

He played three seasons there, scored 17 goals and had 37 assists. He won 2017 MLS Rookie of the Year and in addition to the 2018 MLS Cup, he was on the Atlanta team that won the 2019 U.S. Open Cup and 2019 Campeones Cup.

He also spent time with D.C. United and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He made 56 appearances and recorded four goals and 16 assists in his two and a half seasons at D.C. from 2020 to 2022, before moving to the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he played 31 MLS games in one and a half seasons, scoring five goals and registering seven assists.

Inter Miami opens training camp at the end of this week and begins its seven-game preseason global tour Jan. 19 with a friendly against the El Salvador national team in San Salvador. The team will play FC Dallas at Cotton Bowl Stadium three days later and then head overseas for two games in Saudi Arabia, one in Hong Kong, and one in Tokyo.

The final preseason match is at home Feb. 15 against Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys, the hometown team of Messi and Martino. Inter Miami kicks off its 2024 MLS season at home Feb. 21 against Real Salt Lake (8 p.m., Apple TV MLS Season Pass). Tickets for the home games are on sale through the club website intermiamicf.com