Lionel Messi is back in South Florida after his holiday break but was not among the 20 speakers at the Miami Beach Convention Center Thursday for the annual MLS Media and Marketing Tour. Although he was not there, his name came up often as players and coaches from around the league prepare to kick off the 2024 season.
Training camp opens this weekend and despite not making the MLS playoffs last season, star-studded Inter Miami remains a focal point of the league and enters this season as a favorite to win the championship.
Messi will be joined by a third former FC Barcelona teammate, Uruguayan star Luis Suarez, in addition to Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. The fabulous foursome will be playing their first full season together since their Barca days.
A reporter asked Inter Miami coach Tata Martino if he considers his team a “super team” as NBA teams have been called. He smiled and said, “But they don’t always win.”
Martino went on to explain that he follows the NBA, and sometimes even teams with four superstars struggle to succeed.
“I know we have an excellent team that will compete well, but we have to be aware of what this generates in our rivals,” Martino said. “When the Wizards play Milwaukee, they play even better because they are playing against a team that has a lot of big, big names. We have to prepare for that. We have to move away from talking about the names and the past and focus on what we can achieve now.”
Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino listens during a press conference at the 2024 MLS Media Day at the Miami Beach Convention Center on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in Miami Beach, Fla. MATIAS J. OCNER [email protected]
Several MLS coaches and players conceded that Miami is a unique opponent.
“Even as an opposition coach, everyone is looking on the calendar for the Miami game,” said first-year Toronto FC coach John Herdman. “It’s a really exciting time for MLS to have Messi, the best player, my opinion, who ever played the game, in this league. It’s a real statement of intent. The league has some of the best facilities, some of the best fan bases, and the best player ever to play the game. It’s the place to be.”
Swedish forward Emil Forsberg, who signed with the New York Red Bulls in the off-season after nine years with German club Leipzig, said he understands why Miami is considered an MLS Cup favorite.
“When you look at those four players and what they achieved together, it’s hard to say they’re not favorites,” Forsberg said. “In general, a fantastic team, fantastic players. They know what to do and how to win. It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be fun. In the end, you have to come together as a team to win, and that’s my aim coming to Red Bulls; but, of course, I would also say Miami a little bit are the favorites when you look at the players they have.”
Former MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar of Nashville FC added: “It’s amazing for the league and for us players that players of that caliber are coming. I think if you have Messi on your team, you probably are always the favorite. But it’s a team sport.”
Midfielder Darlington Nagbe of the reigning MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew agreed.
“(Messi) is obviously one of the greatest ever to do it,” Nagbe said. “He’s got a great coach in Tata, who I worked with in Atlanta. Definitely looking forward to big things from them and how they’re going to impact the league. I definitely expect them to be in the running for MLS Cup and all the competitions they’re in.
“It just makes the league better, makes the players better, draws more players that want to come to the league and be a part of it.”
With the stardom come obligations. Inter Miami is about to embark on a seven-game preseason world tour over five countries, including Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Japan.
Asked how he will balance business opportunities with the sporting side, and whether he worries that his team will be tired by opening day, Martino said the key will be managing playing time while fulfilling contractual obligations from promoters. He suggested some players will play limited minutes in the first two games against El Salvador Jan. 19 and FC Dallas Jan. 22.
“We understand the business and sports sides, and we try to satisfy both sides without exceeding one or the other,” Martino said. “We have to balance how much each players participates.”
Busquets agreed.
“It’s looking at the balance of the sporting side and the growth of this club and the revenues that benefit the business side,” he said. “We will also compete against great teams that will prepare us to be at a high level. When it comes to time changes and long trips, we have to be prepared and physically fit, and that will help us during the season.”
MLS, Apple Launch Docuseries
MLS and Apple TV+ announced on Thursday that they partnered with Box to Box Films (“F1: Drive to Survive”) for an eight-part docuseries to chronicle the 2024 season. It will be a behind-the-scenes look at the entire league, its players and coaches.
The new docuseries follows the six-part “Messi Meets Miami” documentary from last season and the upcoming “Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend”, an account of the Argentine star’s national team career.
This story was originally published January 11, 2024, 5:59 PM.
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Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.
