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Lionel Messi responds to backlash after missing game in Hong Kong
Lionel Messi has responded to backlash from Chinese fans and media after not playing in the Inter Miami friendly in Hong Kong on February 4.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The stage is set and the wait is over.
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami’s long-awaited 2024 MLS season begins tonight against Real Salt Lake at the newly named Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Messi and his close friends Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have reunited after their days leading Barcelona to glory and embarked on a new journey with Inter Miami.
And the stakes are high for Messi and Inter Miami this season.
Inter Miami’s quest for four potential championships begins with the season opener.
“Hopefully we can win everything. That’s the idea.” Alba announced on Tuesday that he will play in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the Leagues Cup, the US Open Cup (if Inter Miami participates) and in 2024. talked about the MLS Cup.
Lionel Messi has just performed one of the most awe-inspiring moments of his excellence.
Messi carelessly stepped on his hand and dribbled the ball over the body of Real Salt Lake’s Andrew Brody, who was lying on the pitch. Messi’s shot was deflected by another RSL defender.
However, Messi’s football touch and ability to move quickly in space were in top form. After he realized what he had done, he smiled. Play continued into extra time in the first half, but Brodie eventually left the pitch.
Inter Miami scored their first goal in 2024. Lionel Messi can be thanked for that assist.
Messi found Robert Taylor running toward the net, and Taylor scored with enough momentum to shake off the goalkeeper’s outstretched arm and score into the left side of the net.
Inter Miami 1, Real Salt Lake after the 39th minute goal. Highlights include:
Messi received a pass inside the penalty area but did not seem ready to take a chip shot. After that sequence, he threw his head back in disgust.
Early in the game, Jordi Alba connected with a pass from Messi’s corner kick, but it went slightly wide to the right.
Pablo Ruiz was shown a yellow card for a foul on Lionel Messi in the 17th minute, creating his best goal-scoring chance yet. Messi’s free kick from 30 yards was on target, but a heads-up play from Justen Grad prevented the goal.
Chicho Arango was an absolute bulldog in front of goal and had a chance to break the goalless deadlock in the 14th minute.
Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender erased that threat and prevented RSL’s rare early moment of attack from turning into a shot on goal.
RSL lacked possession from the start of the match, but Inter Miami were unable to take advantage of this against a nervous opponent.
Inter Miami completed 62 passes (compared to RSL’s 21) and had 62% possession in the first 10 minutes of the match.
Inter Miami’s only corner kick was not a legal shot on goal.
MLS Season Pass on Apple TV streams the season kickoff match between Inter Miami and Real Salt Lake.
Actor, rapper, and producer Will Smith was spotted talking with Inter Miami co-owner (and legendary former soccer player) David Beckham on the field.
Inter Miami’s power quartet of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are all in the starting lineup for the opening game against Real Salt Lake. This will be Suarez’s first start in MLS.
Real Salt Lake’s starting 11 is as follows as they look to extend their 14-game unbeaten streak into the MLS weekend opener.
According to BETMGM, Inter Miami is the favorite to win tonight’s game, with money line odds of -175. Real Salt Lake is a +400 underdog and a draw is +340.
Inter Miami’s Tata Martino says Lionel Messi (adductor) and Luis Suarez (knee), who were held back by injuries in Hong Kong earlier this month, are healthy and able to play full time if needed. the director said on Tuesday.
“They’re playing and they’re ready to play,” Martino said in a press conference. “If they need to play 90 minutes, we’ll always look at it depending on the needs 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” was released on Apple TV+ late Tuesday to coincide with the start of the MLS season.
Messi and Apple Music also released a music playlist on Tuesday titled “Messi: The Warm-Up.”
MLS Season Pass on Apple TV also includes every MLS game this season.
Apple also debuted a new Apple Sports App on Wednesday.
“Messi: The Warm-Up” is now available on Apple Music alongside the soccer GOAT’s favorite pregame songs. The playlist included artists like Bad Bunny, Peso Pluma, Rihanna, and Grupo Frontera.
Major League Soccer is making a comeback in the United States, and we can thank Lionel Messi for it. Messi joined the team for his first full season after joining last summer and wowed fans by leading the club to the League Cup title a month after joining. Expectations are even higher in 2024.
But the 36-year-old star has a grueling schedule ahead of him, so fans will have to temper their expectations about how much, and if at all, they’ll see of Messi.
Major League Soccer shut down its referee after the association rejected a provisional contract, putting Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on track to start the season with a replacement.
The Professional Soccer Referees Association announced Saturday that 95.8% of the players voted against a tentative agreement with the Professional Referees Organization to supply match referees to MLS, NWSL and some lower leagues.
MLS hired a replacement official for the first two weeks of the 2014 season, after the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Authority entered negotiations and until a five-year contract was reached.
Andres Salerno never expected Lionel Messi’s customized sneakers to become so popular. And he never thought he’d get the chance to make a pair and present them directly to his favorite soccer player. What started as a passion project and quickly turned into a viral moment led to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Buenos Aires-born Salerno.
Lionel Messi posted a video on one of China’s biggest social media platforms on Monday, telling a “false story” that he did not play in Hong Kong earlier this month due to “political reasons and many other completely false reasons”. was wiped away.
Inter Miami star Messi reiterates why he will not play in Inter Miami’s sold-out pre-season friendly against the Hong Kong All-Stars team at Hong Kong Stadium on February 4 due to an adductor injury. confirmed.
Messi, Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham and the team were booed by fans the day after Messi briefly participated in training at the stadium.
Inter Miami was not an elite team in MLS in 2023. In fact, they were outside of the playoff bubble for most of the season. However, they are the favorites to win the MLS Cup in 2024.
Even if Lionel Messi stays healthy, Miami won’t just be playing in MLS Cup. They will have to compete against countless great teams, including last year’s champion Columbus Crew SC and last year’s runner-up Los Angeles FC.
Here are the favorites to win the 2024 MLS Cup, presented by 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)
Lionel Messi mania won’t be the only interesting story continuing in MLS this season. There’s a lot going on in 2024, from a replacement referee to the prospects of a USMNT contender to the Columbus Crew’s chance to try again.
Argentina has qualified for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in men’s soccer. With that comes the question of whether Lionel Messi wants to add another Olympic gold medal to his extensive list of awards.
“The door is open for a player like him to join us,” said Argentina coach Javier Mascherano, Messi’s close friend and teammate who won the title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. . “It’s up to him and his commitment.”
Mascherano was also teammates with Messi when Argentina won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The men’s soccer group stage for the 2024 Olympics will begin on Wednesday, July 24th, with the gold medal match to be held on Friday, July 9th.
With this schedule, Messi may not miss an MLS match. However, he will miss crucial time at Inter Miami as they look to defend their League Cup title.
(All games are available to stream with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.)
- Feb. 21 vs. Real Salt Lake, 8 p.m. ET
- February 25th, Los Angeles Galaxy, 8:30pm ET
- March 2nd vs. Orlando City, 4:30pm ET (FOX)
- March 7, Nashville SC/Mocha Winner, 9pm ET (Concacaf Champions League)
- March 10th vs. CF Montreal, 5pm ET
- March 13 vs. Nashville SC/Mocha Winner, 8:15pm ET (Concacaf Champions League)
- March 16, DC United, 2pm ET
- March 23, New York Red Bulls, 2pm ET
- March 30th vs. New York City FC, 7:30pm ET
- April 6 vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m. ET
- April 13, Sporting Kansas City, 8:30pm ET
- April 20 vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- April 27, New England Revolution, 7:30pm ET
➤ Inter Miami’s full 2024 schedule
For the first time in the club’s short history, Inter Miami CF will compete in the Concaf Champions Cup.
The Concaf Champions Cup (formerly known as the Concaf Champions League) is an annual continental competition between clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
The winner of the Concacaf Champions Cup will qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup. The expanded 32-team 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be held in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025. The Seattle Sounders, an MLS team, qualified for the tournament by winning the 2022 Concaf Champions League.
This year’s competition will begin on February 6th, with the finals to be held on June 2nd.
Inter Miami will take part in the round of 16, with their first match taking place on March 7th. They will face the winner of Round 1 between Nashville SC and Mocha FC, a team from the Dominican Republic.
How MLS teams qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup:
Every team in the league will wear at least one new uniform for the new campaign. Check out the new jerseys for the 2024 season.
- February 21: Season opener, Inter Miami vs. Real Salt Lake
- February 24-25: MLS to back weekend
- May 11th-18th: Rivals Week
- July 24: MLS All-Star Game, Columbus, Ohio
- July 26th – August 25th: Leagues Cup
- October 19: Last day of regular season (MLS decision day)
- December 7: MLS Cup
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