Inter Miami vs. Real Salt Lake, live updates
Lionel Messi responds to backlash after sitting out of a game in Hong Kong
Lionel Messi has responded to a backlash from Chinese fans and media after his non-appearance at a February 4 Inter Miami friendly in Hong Kong.
The stage is set, and the wait is over.
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami’s highly anticipated 2024 MLS season kicks off tonight against Real Salt Lake at the newly named Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Messi and his close friends Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have rejoined forces after their days leading Barcelona to glory for a new journey together with Inter Miami.
And the stakes are high for Messi and Inter Miami this season.
Inter Miami’s quest to winning four potential championships begins in the season opener.
“Hopefully, we can win all of them. That’s the idea.” Alba said Tuesday of the Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, U.S. Open Cup — if Inter Miami participates — and MLS Cup in 2024.
MLS Season Pass on Apple TV will stream the Inter Miami vs. Real Salt Lake season kickoff match.
Inter Miami is the favorite to win tonight’s match with -175 moneyline odds, according to BETMGM. Real Salt Lake is a +400 underdog, while a tie is +340.
Lionel Messi (adductor) and Luis Suarez (knee), who were both hampered by injury in Hong Kong earlier this month, are healthy and fit to play the full 90 minutes if necessary, Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said Tuesday.
“They’re playing and they’re ready to play,” Martino said during a news conference. “If they’re required to play 90 minutes, we’re going to look at it always depending on the need of the team.”
Lionel Messi fans can find their Messi fix on Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
The documentary “Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend” debuted late Tuesday on Apple TV+ in time for the start of the MLS season.
Messi and Apple Music also released a music playlist Tuesday, titled “Messi: The Warm-Up.”
MLS Season Pass on Apple TV will also broadcast every MLS game this season.
Apple also debuted its new Apple Sports App on Wednesday.
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.
Major League Soccer locked out referees after its union rejected a tentative contract, putting Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on track to open the season with replacement officials.
The Professional Soccer Referees Association said Saturday that 95.8% voted against a tentative agreement with the Professional Referee Organization, which supplies match officials to MLS, the NWSL and some lower-tier leagues.
MLS used replacement officials for the first two weeks of its 2014 season before reaching a five-year contract after the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service entered talks.
Andrés Salerno never thought his Lionel Messi customized sneakers would go viral. And he never thought he would get the chance to make a pair, and give them directly to his soccer idol. What started as a passion project and turned into a viral moment led to an opportunity of a lifetime for Salerno, who was born in Buenos Aires.
- Feb. 21: Season opener, Inter Miami vs. Real Salt Lake
- Feb. 24-25: MLS is Back weekend
- May 11-18: Rivalry week
- July 24: MLS All-Star Game, in Columbus, Ohio
- July 26-Aug. 25: Leagues Cup
- Oct. 19: Final day of regular season (MLS Decision Day)
- Dec. 7: MLS Cup
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