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 | Goal scorers | |
| Inter Miami | – | – |
| Real Salt Lake | – | – |
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Location: Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Referee: Cristian Campo Hernandez
Starting lineups (predicted):
Inter Miami (4-3-3, right to left): Callender (GK) — Yedlin, Aviles, Freire, Alba — D. Ruiz, Busquets, Gressel — Messi, Suarez, D. Gomez.
Real Salt Lake (4-4-2, right to left): MacMath (GK) — Eneli, Vera, Glad, Oviedo — C. Gomez, Ojeda, Palacio, Luna — Julio, Arango.
Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake live updates, highlights, commentary
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 considered likely to start despite missing the last preseason match with an ankle injury, but that will be one to watch as the match draws closer. 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 projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Callender (GK) — Yedlin, Aviles, Freire, Alba — D. Ruiz, Busquets, Gressel — Messi, Suarez, D. Gomez.
Inter Miami subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
Midfielder Pablo Ruiz and his meniscus tear is the only confirmed fitness issue for Real Salt Lake head coach Pablo Mastroeni, but it’s unclear whether defender Erik Holt will be ready to go after missing almost all of last season with a shoulder injury.
Winter signings Matt Crooks and Fidel Barajas are potential new starters for this side, but it could be tough for them to find a way in, especially if Mastroeni sticks with his traditional 4-4-2, which doesn’t often have room for a traditional No. 10 like Crooks.
Real Salt Lake projected starting lineup (4-4-2): MacMath (GK) — Eneli, Vera, Glad, Oviedo — C. Gomez, Ojeda, Palacio, Luna — Julio, Arango.
Real Salt Lake subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
Facing one of the greatest players of all time.
But the goal remains the same: win. pic.twitter.com/IEZPYHMLbY
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) February 19, 2024
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.
