MLS 2024 season schedule: When does Messi play?

The 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) season is upon us and could well be the biggest yet. The league's popularity has increased in the United States in recent years and the addition of the likes of Lionel Messi has attracted many thousands more fans to stadiums.

This year, each team is scheduled to play a total of 34 regular season games, 17 at home and 17 away. The Eastern Conference consists of 15 teams and meets each of its opponents twice within the same conference, for a total of 28 games. They will also play one game against six different opponents from the other conference, for a total of 34 games. The 14-team Western Conference also plays two games against each opponent, for a total of 26 games. Additionally, they will face one or two additional opponents within the conference and six or seven opponents from the other conference, completing their 34-game schedule.

Here you'll find all the important dates of the season, including the schedules of three of the league's most popular teams.

February 24-25: MLS is back, weekend

After the opening game of the season between Messi's Inter Miami and Real Salt Lake played last Wednesday, the league continues with 14 games this weekend. These include the highly anticipated duel between LA Galaxy, the five-time MLS Cup winners, and Inter Miami, the current League Cup winners.

From May 11th to 18th: Week of Rivalries

During Rivalry Week, teams with historical or geographic rivalries compete in highly anticipated games. For example, Toronto FC and CF Montreal, both teams from Canada, will play a game that will undoubtedly be watched by a large number of Canadian fans. These are the games of the week. All times are Eastern Time.

July 4th: Traffic at the Rose Bowl

One of the biggest rivalries in the league is that between the two teams from Los Angeles: LA Galaxy and LAFC, who face each other at El Tráfico, their classic annual game that set a historic record for MLS attendance on Independence Day last year with 82,110 fans . The game will be played at the Rose Bowl and can be streamed with the MLS Season Pass.

July 24: MLS All-Star Game

The Columbus Crew will host their first MLS All-Star Game since 2005. Fans can register now to receive priority access to tickets. The game will be played on Wednesday, July 24 at Lower.com Field. According to the MLS website, the week will feature “world-class soccer events, music, interactive fan experiences and community-focused events in Ohio’s capital city.” The rival will be announced later.

July 26th – August 25th: League Cup

The championship, which includes all MLS and LIGA MX teams, will return this year with a month-long break in the MLS season. The tournament begins on Friday, July 26th and ends on Sunday, August 25th.

October 19th: crucial day

October 19th is the final day of the 14-game regular season.

December 7: MLS Cup 2024

The final game of the postseason that ends with a champion will be Saturday, December 7th. The finalist with the highest regular season score will host the game.

Inter Miami 2024 games

Lionel Messi has made Inter Miami one of the league's most popular teams, but he's not the only star in the squad. His former FC Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets are now part of the team and their addition is considered the main reason why the team won the last League Cup title, which is the club's first trophy in its six-year history. Here are all the games from this year's season. All times are Eastern Time.

LA Galaxy Games

Despite failing to make the playoffs for the second year in a row in 2023, LA Galaxy remains one of the most followed clubs in the league. The team has a record five MLS Cups and could aim for a sixth with a squad that includes Uruguayan Diego Fagúndez, Brazilian Gabriel Pec and Mexican Jonathan Pérez. Here are all the games from this year's season. All times are Eastern Time.

LAFC games

LAFC finished second in the 2023 MLS Cup after losing to the Columbus Crew and also finished second in the CONCACAF Champions League against Club León of LIGA MX. Gabon's Denis Bouanga is their best player, scoring an impressive 20 goals last season, followed by Mexico's Carlos Vela, who scored nine goals. Here are all the games from this year's season. All times are Eastern Time.

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