The 2024 Major League Soccer season has kicked off with Inter Miami hosting Real Salt Lake at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. It is fitting that the season’s first game is a Lionel Messi showcase, such is the Argentine’s impact since he decided to try an American experience last summer.
Messi’s arrival in MLS has coincided with a spike in interest in the league — and the effect of having the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has made Inter Miami the most attractive destination in North American soccer. Messi has brought star power with him for the ride, which has helped Inter Miami begin the season as betting favorites the MLS Cup, even after missing the playoffs last season.
Lionel Messi’s son Thiago makes him proud with golazo and a trophy for Inter Miami
Inter Miami has made millions from Messi
Messi’s impact has been just as substantial off the pitch — as Inter Miami’s hectic preseason schedule made clear. The Herons played in Japan, El Salvador, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and two locations in the United States as the club sought to maximize the 36-year-old’s presence.
Since Messi confirmed he would join Inter Miami last June, the club’s value has nearly doubled, and it secured record revenues for 2023. The club’s following in Instagram increased sixteen-fold, while subscriptions to the league’s MLS Season Pass service surged. MLS has further reported that sales from the league’s official online store have risen by 44 percent.
Reunited with Suarez
Messi’s presence helped convince Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets — his longtime teammates at FC Barcelona — to reunite with him in Miami for one last dance. And after months of rumors, yet another of Messi’s close friends agreed to link back up with him in MLS.
Luis Suarez officially joined Inter Miami in December, and he started on his official debut against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night. Suarez and Messi had legendary chemistry when they played together at Barcelona and will be hoping to quickly re-establish that connection as the season gets underway.
Suarez started in the middle of a front three on Wednesday, with Messi to his right and Robert Taylor to his left. It was Taylor who scored the season’s first goal in the 39th minute against RSL, as he took up a Messi through ball and lashed a powerful shot off goalkeeper Zac MacMath that rolled slowly into the net.
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