Hopes are high for Inter Miami as Lionel Messi prepares for his first full season in Major League Soccer.
Messi made a transformative impact when he joined the Florida franchise from Paris Saint-Germain in July last year, inspiring their run to Leagues Cup glory.
However, Miami was already too far off the pace to make a good impression in the league, ultimately missing the postseason despite former Barcelona and Argentina coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino arriving around the same time as his Rosarian companion.
Martino won the MLS Cup with Atlanta United in 2018 and the reunion between Messi and another old ally, veteran former Barça and Liverpool striker Luis Suárez, adds another intriguing narrative line for next season.
But when does it all start?
When does the 2024 MLS season start?
The preseason schedule for MLS teams began on January 19 and will run through February 17, including a friendly between Messi’s Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia on February 1.
Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution, Orlando City, FC Cincinnati, Houston Dynamo and St Louis City (these last two against each other) will play the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup before the opening match of the MLS regular season on Wednesday, February 21.
Somewhat inevitably, Messi will take center stage on launch night, when Inter Miami hosts Real Salt Lake at the DRV PNK stadium.
This marks the earliest start in league history, which will be followed by the MLS Is Back weekend, with 14 games taking place over the course of February 24-25.
MLS Return Weekend Schedule
Saturday February 24
Columbus Crew vs. Atalanta United
LAFC vs. Seattle Sounders
Charlotte FC vs. New York City
Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire
Impact of the city of Orlando vs. Montreal
DC United vs. New England Revolution
Austin FC vs. Minnesota United
St Louis City vs. Real Salt Lake
Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting Kansas City
FC Dallas vs. San Jose Earthquakes
Portland Timbers vs. Colorado Rapids
Sunday February 25
FC Cincinnati vs. Toronto FC
Nashville SC vs. New York Red Bulls
LA Galaxy vs. Inter Miami
MLS season schedule
The regular season will extend until Decision Day 2024 in Saturday October 19last day of the calendar with 14 games.
Each team will play 34 regular season games, 17 at home and 17 away.
The postseason concludes with the MLS Cup on Saturday, December 7. Hosting rights will be awarded to the finalist with the best regular season record.
Messi will try to defend him and Inter Miami Leagues Cup title between Friday, July 26 and Sunday, August 25. The Leagues Cup causes a month-long pause in MLS.
How to watch MLS games in 2024
Last season, Major League Soccer entered into a 10-year broadcast rights deal with Apple that will allow all matches for the next decade to be broadcast exclusively on Apple’s streaming platform.
Apple TV is the official home of the MLS regular season and playoffs, and every team’s game is available to stream around the world without cuts. A select few games each week are streamed for free, while the rest of the fixture list is for subscribers only.
The streaming service, called MLS Season Pass, will be available for all fans to purchase at a fixed price throughout the season, and is available at a discounted rate for Apple TV+ subscribers. Some matches will also be available to watch for free each week.
MLS Season Pass is separate from Apple TV+, meaning those with Apple TV+ would still need a MLS Season Pass subscription to access the full list of games, while those without Apple TV+ can still sign up MLS Season Pass without needing a full subscription to Apple TV+.
