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Lionel Messi is preparing for his first full season in American football
The 29th season of Major League Soccer is set to be one of the most important in the history of the North American league.
It will be the first of three momentous years in which the attention of football fans from around the world will be focused on the continent.
The region will host high-profile international tournaments – the 2024 Copa America, the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup – and features the sport's standout player, Lionel Messi, as well as other household names.
The MLS and U.S. Soccer as a whole will look to capitalize on this.
MLS – Messi League Soccer
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Lionel Messi: Inter Miami introduces Argentine striker
While 2023 was all about the fanfare of his arrival, 2024 will be Messi's first full season in MLS.
Given that he only played a handful of league games after joining David Beckham-owned franchise Inter Miami in the middle of last year, this feels like a first MLS season for the Argentine magician.
He will be joined in Miami this year by his former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez, as well as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, who arrived with Messi last July.
Suarez thinks Inter Miami should aim to win it all. The former Liverpool striker asked the question during the off-season: “Why shouldn’t we dream of winning all four titles this year?”
In reality, there are five titles on offer and plenty of competition.
Ticket resale company Viagogo found the following:
- Ticket sales for each of the top 10 teams have more than quadrupled since 2023
- All MLS teams have seen an increase in revenue since Messi's arrival in the league
- The 2024 season has attracted sales from 44 different countries, up from nine countries at the start of last season
- Argentina is the second largest country with the most sales
- Inter Miami takes part in all 10 of the 10 most in-demand MLS games
Multiple titles are available
There are two up for grabs in MLS: the Supporters' Shield, awarded to the overall league leader in the Eastern and Western Conferences combined, and the MLS Cup, awarded to the winner of the post-season playoffs.
The league will have to start the season with replacement referees after the Professional Soccer Referees Association voted against a new salary agreement.
A third tournament Inter Miami will compete in is the Concacaf Champions Cup, the regional equivalent of the Champions League or Copa Libertadores. They advance to the round of 16 next month.
It will be a difficult task against some strong Mexican clubs and other MLS opponents, but winning the Champions Cup would secure Miami and Messi a place in the 2025 Club World Cup.
But how did Inter Miami, a team that finished 27th out of 29 teams in MLS last season, even qualify for the Champions Cup?
They did it by winning the first edition of a revamped League Cup, a mid-season competition invented in 2019 that included all MLS and Mexican Liga MX teams in 2023, rather than just a few teams in previous editions. That competition, not the MLS, was the setting for Messi's triumphant arrival on American shores in 2023.
A successful defense of their League Cup title would be a fourth possible title, but there is also a fifth – the US Open Cup – won by the Houston Dynamo last season, beating Miami in the final.
This is the US version of the FA Cup and the only competition in the top five US professional men's sports (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS) that is open to teams outside of the closed league franchise systems.
Additional teams are available
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Columbus Crew are the reigning champions
While many are still pinching themselves to check whether Messi's membership in the MLS isn't a dream, others aren't so enthusiastic.
Some fans of the other 28 MLS teams are growing tired of the constant focus on Messi and Miami at the expense of their teams.
Some even went so far as to sell their tickets to their team's game against Messi's Miami at the end of last season. With the prices achieved on the secondary ticket market, sometimes reaching thousands of dollars, one could pay for a season ticket for an entire season.
Your frustration is understandable. Inter Miami was one of the worst teams in MLS in 2023, but coverage of them often exceeded that of better teams, including Supporters' Shield winners FC Cincinnati and MLS Cup winners Columbus Crew.
These two title winners showed that they were champions in both the post-season play-offs and the league. Cincinnati and their own Argentine No. 10, 2023 MLS MVP (Most Valuable Player) Luciano Acosta, were deservedly named the best in the league.
Columbus Crew, on the other hand, played some of the best and most imaginative attacking football the MLS has seen in recent memory. In the play-offs they showed their skills under the leadership of former Watford striker Cucho Hernandez.
Lots of familiar faces
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Hugo Lloris: The Los Angeles FC goalkeeper always wanted a move to the MLS
A total of 29 teams from the USA and Canada will compete in the MLS this season. It is the first time since 2016 that the league has not added a new expansion franchise, although there will be one in 2025 when San Diego FC joins the roster.
There are many familiar faces across MLS, including Phil Neville, who now coaches the Portland Timbers after leaving Inter Miami before Messi's arrival and being replaced by Gerardo Martino, and former Aston Villa coach Dean Smith, who coaches Charlotte FC .
Former Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris moved to Western Conference challengers Los Angeles FC, while Ryan Gauld, a player once dubbed the Scottish Messi as a youngster at Dundee United, found his feet in Canada as a key player with the Vancouver Whitecaps has.
Messi is not the only Argentine world champion in the league. Highly rated 22-year-old Thiago Almada plays for Atlanta United and continues to attract interest from European clubs.
The highest-paid MLS players include household names like Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire), Christian Benteke (DC United) and Teemu Pukki (Minnesota United).
In addition to designated players, salary caps, and countless unique rules and regulations, one of MLS's many unique features is that its Players Association publishes player salaries each year.
Fans know if they're getting their money's worth!
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