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Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will close out one of the biggest season-opening weekends in MLS history on Sunday night.
Inter Miami visits the Los Angeles Galaxy in primetime with a 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) kickoff to wrap the first weekend of the 2024 MLS season.
Inter Miami’s big four – Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – are expected to play as the club hopes to improve to 2-0 this season.
As MLS begins its 29th season, Messi continues to be the biggest draw since joining Inter Miami last summer. He also eclipsed 500 million followers on Instagram this weekend, as one of the most followed on the social media app.
Inter Miami began the MLS season on Wednesday night, defeating Real Salt Lake 2-0 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Now, they’re on the road in Los Angeles where Messi’s celebrity takes center stage for several celebrities likely to be in attendance.
The Inter Miami match against the L.A. Galaxy will be streamed on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Messi is in rare air on Instagram as the second person with at least 500 million followers on the social media network. Soccer fans know who has more, but here’s the Top 10 most-followed accounts on Instagram.
Messi is in the starting lineup, and Inter Miami will be wearing their black Noche Buena jerseys for the second time during a regular season game since Messi joined the club.
Messi and Luis Suarez were all smiles coming off the Inter Miami bus for tonight’s match. Here’s video from MLS:
David Beckham, the former L.A. Galaxy standout, is with his new team Inter Miami’s for Sunday’s match.
Many European stars have graced MLS in recent years, but it was Beckham’s stint with L.A. Galaxy from 2007-12 that is most remembered and referred to as a pivotal moment in league history.
After all, there’s no Messi in Inter Miami if there’s no Beckham with L.A. Galaxy.
Inter Miami is +130 to win, L.A. Galaxy is +170 to win, and both teams are +280 to tie on the moneyline odds from BetMGM.
∎ Safid Deen – Inter Miami 4, LA Galaxy 1
Messi scores twice, Luis Suarez scores another, and one more Inter Miami player finds the back of the net in a 4-1 win against L.A. Galaxy.
∎ Jim Reineking – Inter Miami 3, LA Galaxy 1
The Galaxy, a once upon a time MLS powerhouse, spent the offseason undergoing an aggressive roster overhaul in an attempt to improve a team that finished 13th in the Western Conference last season. The Galaxy added designated players Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec to team with incumbent Riqui Puig in the attack. It seems the Galaxy’s strategy might be to outscore their opponents, because their defense remains a glaring team weakness. While Paintsil and Pec need to get acclimated with their new teammates, Lionel Messi and Co. already have a regular-season game under their belt. It could be one-way traffic in Carson against a Galaxy team in transition.
Messi did not score, but orchestrated both of Inter Miami’s goals in their 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake in the 2024 MLS season opener on Wednesday night.
Messi assisted on the first goal of the season to Robert Taylor in the 39th minute, and dropped a pass to Suarez, who assisted on Diego Gomez’s goal in the 83rd minute of the match.
Messi and Suarez each had one final shot attempt on goal in the final minutes of the match, but to no avail.
Messi had two assists in a 3-1 win for Inter Miami over LAFC on Sept. 3, 2023, with celebrities like Prince Harry, Leonardo DiCaprio and Selena Gomez in attendance.
Real Salt Lake’s Andrew Brody, who was the player Messi dribbled over while laying on the pitch during the season opener, addressed the play on his Instagram account on Thursday.
“For those asking, yes I was the cone on the ground there,” Brody posted on his Instagram story one day after the match.
Inter Miami defender Sergii Kryvtsov smiled when asked about the Messi play before Friday’s practice.
“It’s Messi,” he said with a shrug.
The fallout from Lionel Messi’s absence for an Inter Miami match in Hong Kong has resulted in two more chances to watch him play in the United States next month.
Argentina will play El Salvador at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on March 22 and Nigeria at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on March 26.
Messi would miss Inter Miami’s road game against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on March 23, but could play twice more in the New York area later this year.
Major League Soccer is having its moment again in the United States, and you can thank Lionel Messi for that. This will be Messi’s first full season with the team after joining last summer, and captivating fans by leading the club to a Leagues Cup title a month after his arrival. The expectations are even higher in 2024.
But fans need to temper their expectations of how much they’ll see Messi play – if they see him at all – with a grueling schedule ahead for the 36-year-old star.
Lionel Messi — the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and 2022 World Cup champion — is entering his first full season with Inter Miami CF. Messi’s presence has made Inter Miami the betting favorites to hoist MLS Cup come Dec. 7.
Are those lofty expectations for Messi and Miami warranted? USA TODAY Network’s soccer reporters and writers aren’t so sure.
(All games available to stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.)
- Feb. 21: Inter Miami 2, Real Salt Lake 0
- Feb. 25, at Los Angeles Galaxy, 8:30 p.m. ET
- March 2, vs. Orlando City, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
- March 7, at Nashville SC/Moca winner, 9 p.m. ET (Concacaf Champions League)
- March 10, vs. CF Montréal, 5 p.m. ET
- March 13, vs. Nashville SC/Moca winner, 8:15 p.m. ET (Concacaf Champions League)
- March 16, at D.C. United, 2 p.m. ET
Inter Miami was not exactly an elite MLS team in 2023. In fact, they were outside the playoff bubble for most of the season. However, in 2024, they are the favorites to win the MLS Cup.
Even if Lionel Messi remains healthy, Miami won’t just waltz into MLS Cup. They’ll have to contend with a myriad of great teams such as last year’s winners, Columbus Crew SC, and last year’s runner-up, Los Angeles FC.
Here are the 2024 MLS Cup favorites, courtesy of BetMGM:
- Inter Miami (+250)
- Los Angeles FC (+800)
- Columbus Crew (+900)
- FC Cincinnati (+1200)
- Philadelphia Union (+1400)
- New York Red Bulls (+1600)
- Seattle Sounders (+1600)
- Orlando City SC (+2000)
- Atlanta United (+2200)
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Gregory Daniels is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, he explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture. Gregory enjoys staying ahead of the curve and sharing emerging trends with his readers.
