Lionel Messi will embark on his first full MLS season as Inter Miami look to start 2024 in style against Western Conference foes Real Salt Lake in Ft. Lauderdale.
The match will draw the curtain on the entire 2024 MLS campaign, with all other sides beginning play on the weekend.
Thanks to Messi’s influence, Inter Miami are considered the betting favorites to win the league title this year, which would be an incredible accomplishment after finishing 14th in the Eastern Conference last season. Messi is also considered an overwhelming favorite to win the league’s Golden Boot award in 2024, which will require him to remain healthy across the entire campaign — a tall ask considered his age and history.
With Luis Suarez added to the mix, Inter Miami have a formidable attacking unit, but they also must address the porous defensive structure that played its role in their sunken season a year ago.
The Sporting News is following the Inter Miami vs. Real Salt Lake match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
2024 MLS PREDICTIONS: MLS Cup winner | Golden Boot | Inter Miami prediction | Messi goals in 2024
Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake live score
Score (1H) Goal scorers Inter Miami 0 – Real Salt Lake 0 –
Kickoff: 8:10 p.m. ET / 5:10 p.m. PT
Location: Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Referee: Cristian Campo Hernandez
Starting lineups:
Inter Miami (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Callender (GK) — 2. Yedlin, 6. Aviles, 27. Kryvtsov, 18. Alba — 20. D. Gomez, 5. Busquets, 24. Gressel — 10. Messi, 9. Suarez, 16. Taylor.
Real Salt Lake (4-5-1, right to left): 18. MacMath (GK) — 14. Eneli, 15. Glad, 4. Vera, 2. Brody — 11. C. Gomez, 6. Ojeda, 7. P. Ruiz, 13. Palacio, 8. Luna — 9. Arango.
Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake live updates, highlights, commentary
Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake: First Half
23rd min: Chance, Inter Miami! Again the hosts come close, and again Zack MacMath denies Inter Miami! Diego Gomez produces a wonderful lashed volley as he whips his boot at a bouncing ball, but the RSL goalkeeper makes a fabulous diving save, just getting a fingertip to the ball which deflects it wide of the far post. It’s still scoreless, but only just!
21st min: Chance, Inter Miami! The hosts are pummeling Real Salt Lake from the top of the six-yard box! Lionel Messi sends a defender for a hot dog with a delicious flick onto his right, and his shot is blocked, and Robert Taylor’s follow-up is also blocked. DeAndre Yedlin has a go seconds later, firing wide right, but the offside flag is up. Inter Miami are swarming the attacking third in droves, and RSL need some kind of outlet.
20th min: Chance, Inter Miami! RSL have a chance with Arango, but he’s all by himself again and gets swarmed by three defenders in pink. Inter Miami go right down the other end and Luis Suarez forces a save from Zack MacMath! The RSL goalkeeper has been very busy to start this match.
17th min: Chance, Inter Miami! All preseason Lionel Messi was looking for an Olimpico goal straight from a corner, and he goes for it here, forcing Zack MacMath to tip over the crossbar! Awkward for the goalkeeper, and so close again for Messi from a set-piece.
The next delivery is a floater towards the far post and cleared — he didn’t try for two in a row.
15th min: Chance, Inter Miami! The first yellow card of the MLS season is shown to Pablo Ruiz, as he fouls Lionel Messi on the break. There’s not a lot of contact, but it does look like he gives the Inter Miami star a push in the back. The replacement referees will have a big spotlight on them early this season, and this wasn’t a great early decision.
It gives the hosts a dangerous free-kick chance, which Messi will line up from 27 yards. That’s deep, but he’s done crazier things — and he produces a STUNNER, seeking the top-right corner, but only kept out by Justin Glad who heads off the line!!! SO CLOSE FOR MESSI! From an RSL perspective, putting two defenders literally on the line is a brilliant way to defend the greatest set-piece taker in the world.
Big-time header from Justen Glad to deny Messi’s free kick. 👀
📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/D7skJOK7bn pic.twitter.com/3DD1xf6t2z
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) February 22, 2024
14th min: The calamitous Inter Miami defense has finally arrived. 32-year-old Serhiy Kryvtsov is roasted by Arango in transition and the Ukrainian defender falls flat on his face. It nearly leads to a RSL chance, but the ball rolls to a charging Drake Callender before any gold jersey can meet the feed from out wide right.
11th min: Real Salt Lake have been miserable on the ball to start the match, with constant giveaways and fouls in midfield, succumbing to Inter Miami’s high counter-press. Finally they get forward to Chicho Arango, but he’s isolated down the left and has no support in the middle, eventually coughing it up. It’s early obviously, but RSL look second-best so far.
7th min: Lionel Messi draws his first foul of the season as he gets a bear hug from Justin Glad about 40 yards from goal. It’s too deep for a hit on goal, even for Messi, but it’s a dangerous set-piece. Inter Miami don’t serve a good ball in, but somehow it squirts through everyone to Luis Suarez, but the Uruguayan didn’t look ready for it, and it clatters off him up over the crossbar.
2nd min: Inter Miami are into the attack right from the jump, and it nearly gets Lionel Messi in on goal! Robert Taylor loops one over the RSL defense into the path of a streaking Messi, but there’s just not enough room for the Argentine to get on the ball before he collides with goalkeeper Zack MacMath.
That’s very close! The RSL netminder will have to be on his game today knowing Inter Miami will be sending a lot of deep balls and crosses into his area.
Kickoff: They’re under way at Chase Stadium in Florida! The 2024 Major League Soccer season is OFFICIALLY in session.
Just before kickoff, Inter Miami had an on-field presentation to welcome Luis Suarez to the side, after signing for Inter Miami this offseason.
Bienvenido a casa, @LuisSuarez9 🏠🩷🖤 pic.twitter.com/8zpbZM0Vjw
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 22, 2024
Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more
15 mins to kickoff: What will Lionel Messi bring to the pitch in 2024? His injection into Major League Soccer has been a massive financial boost for both Inter Miami and MLS, but aside from the initial burst in the Leagues Cup, he didn’t add much on the field in terms of hard and fast results.
Can the Argentine legend change that in his first full season and lead the Herons to never-before-seen glory at the young South Florida club, or will Inter Miami fall hard, their patchwork roster proving too much for Messi to shoulder on his own? We’re about to find out!
Since signing Lionel Messi, Inter Miami has:
• Seen its value grow from $600M » $1.03B
• Generated a record $120M+ in revenue
• Gone from 1M » 16M IG followers
• Signed a jersey deal with Royal Caribbean
• Signed a stadium deal with JPMorgan Chasehttps://t.co/njrXP8TSQA pic.twitter.com/7J4ROaQnTe
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 22, 2024
30 mins to kickoff: For Real Salt Lake, new signing Matt Crooks, a playmaker on his way to the U.S. from English club Middlesborough, is still in the process of obtaining a work permit and thus is not available for this match.
Head coach Pablo Mastroeni has decided to play talisman Cristian Arango up front as a lone striker, leaving Anderson Julio on the bench in favor of another midfielder in Pablo Ruiz, while Andrew Brody is preferred to veteran Bryan Oviedo at left-back.
Our official roll call in Miami #MIAvRSL | @Intermountain pic.twitter.com/gBE6EIkMzo
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) February 22, 2024
45 mins to kickoff: The Inter Miami lineup is in, and there are a few interesting wrinkles for Tata Martino in his first XI of the 2024 season.
First and foremost, Sergio Busquets shakes off his preseason ankle injury to start. David Ruiz is unlucky not to see the starting lineup, with Robert Taylor deployed on the wing and Julian Gressel in midfield. New defensive signing Nicolas Friere isn’t even in the matchday squad thanks to a prior muscle injury, despite appearing in the latest preseason friendly.
Pregame mate for Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez 🧉
The former Barcelona duo start for Inter Miami in their 2024 MLS season opener 🌴 pic.twitter.com/RwnFP2mG8S
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 22, 2024
1 hour to kickoff: The last time Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez all started a match together? That would be the 8-2 demolition of Barcelona at the hands of Bayern Munich. It’s been a long time for the Barca Gang, but they’re back on the field as one unit tonight, as long as Busquets can overcome his ankle injury suffered during the preseason match in Tokyo.
Incredibly, just earlier today that match came full circle as Robert Lewandowski became the first Barcelona player not named Lionel Messi to score a Champions League knockout stage since Suarez scored in that 8-2 result.
1 hour 15 mins to kick: Lionel Messi enters the 2024 MLS season with 11 goals for Inter Miami, a very new club which will embark on its fourth season of existence. As such, the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, fellow Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, is just 18 goals in front of Messi. Will Messi catch his countrymate by the time the year is concluded and become Inter Miami’s all-time leading goal scorer?
Inter Miami all time goal scoring record count:
Gonzalo Higuaín: 29 goals (record)
Lionel Messi: 11 goals pic.twitter.com/lHxjmXFGqQ
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) February 21, 2024
1 hour 30 mins to kick: Real Salt Lake are going with their gold’s tonight for their season opener on the road, which are pretty awesome kits.
the gold standard pic.twitter.com/3ax5JBl4tm
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) February 21, 2024
1 hour 45 mins to kick: You may notice that the venue for tonight’s match — Inter Miami’s home stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, FL — has a new name. It’s been rebranded from DRV PNK (pronounced “drive pink”) Stadium to Chase Stadium, sporting a new sponsor for 2024.
Back home 🏠😍
8:00PM ET | @chase_stadium | #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV pic.twitter.com/Ik2rDdmnJj
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 21, 2024
2 hours to kickoff: Earlier, we touched on expectations vs reality for Inter Miami with regards to the 2024 MLS Cup title. The same questions must be asked of Lionel Messi on an individual basis.
At 36 years old, set to turn 37 in the summer, Messi is the overwhelming betting favorite to win the 2024 Golden Boot, but can he really keep himself fit for a realistic chance at the top goal scorer award? We took a look at how many goals Messi can reasonably be expected to score this year in MLS play, and while he may be in the mix for the award, it’s hard to see him actually coming out on top.
Here are the Golden Boot predictions for the 2024 MLS season from The Sporting News:
2 hours 15 mins to kick: Tonight’s match, as will all MLS matches for the foreseeable future, will be officiated by a replacement referee as the regular MLS officials are in the middle of a lockout, failing to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement with PRO, their direct employers.
Tonight’s head referee is Cristian Campo Hernandez, who officiated matches last year in both the USL Championship and USL League 1, the second and third tiers of soccer in the United States. Hernandez is one of 70 officials who will work matches during the work stoppage, while the regular referees are out picketing for a better labor agreement.
Earlier today, MLS and PRO held a press conference where they announced the postponement of a few rule changes that had been scheduled to go into effect this season, and said they aren’t quite sure what the referee union wants in their negotiations. It’s a very awkward and tenuous situation.
MLS and PRO have kicked out the referees in MLS, so PSRA members are picketing in New York City. As it stands, MLS will use scab refs to call the opening games of the season.
🎥 @thegoalkeeper pic.twitter.com/pql7QXcbt8
— World Soccer Talk (@worldsoccertalk) February 21, 2024
2 hours 30 mins to kick: The expectations for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are sky high this season. They are overwhelming betting favorites to win MLS Cup in 2024, while Messi is also far and away the favorite to win the league’s top goal scorer award.
In all honesty, the expectations are patently absurd. This team, which had Lionel Messi for multiple months last year, finished 14th in the East, second-to-last. Inter Miami failed to address any defensive frailties, even trading their best defender in Kamal Miller, and they sport paper-thin depth in both midfield and up front. The club’s most important players are all at an advanced age and sport a patchy injury history, and will struggle to remain on the field for consistent minutes.
Here, you can find 2024 MLS season predictions from The Sporting News:
2 hours 45 mins to kick: Timed perfectly with the start of the MLS season, Apple TV+ has released a documentary following Lionel Messi at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, detailing Argentina’s historic title run.
The Sporting News got early access to Messi’s World Cup: Rise of a Legend and put together a comprehensive review of what is ultimately a four-episode mini-series worth the time for football fans old and new, even if it ends with a bit of a whimper.
3 hours to kickoff: The MLS season will begin with replacement officials after PRO, the organization that employs the league’s match referees, escalated an ongoing labor dispute by locking out the unionized regular officials just days before the first match of the season. The Athletic reports that 66 replacement officials have been brought aboard to help keep the season on track.
The same thing happened 10 years ago, when the 2014 season began with two weeks of replacement officials taking charge of 16 matches before an agreement was reached and the regular referees returned to action.
PRO, the Professional Referees Organization, has officially announced a lockout of MLS officials after their latest CBA proposal was rejected by the union.
The lockout will go into effect tomorrow morning (Feb 18) at midnight. The MLS season begins three days later.
— Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) February 17, 2024
Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake lineups, team news
Inter Miami’s tactical setup will be interesting to see as they begin their 2024 competitive campaign. Head coach Tata Martino has experimented with a number of setups, but it would reason to expect a return to the 4-3-3 he used most often last year.
Lionel Messi is considered fit to start the year despite a muscle injury in preseason, while new signing Luis Suarez is also ready to go. Both will have to be heavily managed throughout the year, so don’t be surprised to see them sit out games for rest at various points.
Sergio Busquets is back in the lineup after missing the last preseason match with an ankle injury. Young midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi is out for the first few months with a knee injury, while mainstay Gregore was offloaded to Brazilian side Botafogo, meaning the Inter Miami midfield is dangerously thin at the onset of the season.
Inter Miami starting lineup (4-3-3): Callender (GK) — Yedlin, Aviles, Kryvtsov, Alba — D. Gomez, Busquets, Gressel — Messi, Suarez, Taylor.
Inter Miami subs (9): Dos Santos (GK), Allen, Sailor, Boatwright, Sunderland, Mota, D. Ruiz, Borgelin, Campana.
Midfielder Pablo Ruiz and his meniscus tear is the only confirmed fitness issue for Real Salt Lake head coach Pablo Mastroeni, but Erik Holt remains sidelined after missing almost all of last season with a shoulder injury. Young full-back Kevin Bonilla also misses out due to a knee problem.
Winter signings Matt Crooks and Fidel Barajas are potential new starters for this side moving forward, but for today, Crooks will have to wait as his work permit is still in progress.
Real Salt Lake starting lineup (4-5-1): MacMath (GK) — Eneli, Vera, Glad, Oviedo — C. Gomez, Ojeda, P. Ruiz, Palacio, Luna — Arango.
Real Salt Lake subs (9): Beavers (GK), Silva, Oviedo, Davis, M. Ramirez, Caliskan, Barajas, Kei, Julio.
How to watch Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake
The exclusive home of Inter Miami and the entire 2024 MLS season is MLS Season Pass from Apple TV, available for fans to watch from around the globe.