February 21, (THEWILL) – Lionel Messi is set to embark on his first full season with Inter Miami on Wednesday. The start of the 2024 Major League Soccer campaign sees the 36-year old link up with familiar faces from his Barcelona days, as Luis Suarez joins Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba at the Florida club.
Manager, Gerardo “Tata” Martino, acknowledges that while Miami are the pre-season favourites, “superteams also find it difficult to win.” With the spotlight and pressure on, a strong start is imperative for the star-studded squad.
Miami will play at home for the first game of 2024, facing Real Salt Lake in their season opener. There will be lofty expectation levels for the hosts as record eight-time Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner, Messi, looks to build on only a partial first season. After sending ticket prices skyrocketing amid the hype, Miami will aim to justify the cost and headlines with the right game plan to maximise the talents of Messi and company.
Eastern Conference rivals, Columbus Crew, stand in the way of Inter Miami’s designs to take MLS supremacy in 2024. The defending MLS Cup champions host Atlanta on Saturday, seeking to become just the fourth side to retain the trophy. 2023 MVP Cucho Hernandez is again the danger man for Columbus, alongside Darlington Nagbe and Aidan Morris in Wilfried Nancy’s star-studded squad.
The new season starts with replacement referees running the rule over MLS games due to an ongoing labour dispute. This provides an additional challenge for the expected title contenders to navigate on the quest for glory in 2024. Inter Miami will hope home advantage and star power combines to make a winning start this week.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
