Advertisement 2024: Michelob ULTRA
This year's Michelob ULTRA Super Bowl commercial features international soccer star Lionel Messi alongside “Ted Lasso” actor Jason Sudeikis and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino. Be sure to vote for your favorite Super Bowl ad with Ad Meter! Go to admeter.usatoday.com.
The Los Angeles Galaxy were just five minutes away from beating Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
But there was enough time for the world's greatest player to save Inter Miami and make a name for himself in Los Angeles.
Messi scored a sliding kick in the 92nd minute of the game to save Inter Miami, leading to a 1-1 draw against the Galaxy on Sunday night and concluding the opening weekend of the 2024 MLS season.
Messi and Inter Miami were frustrated for 90 minutes and were on the verge of their first defeat in the second game of the season.
It also appeared as if Messi, the 2022 World Cup winner and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner as the best footballer, would go scoreless in two MLS games.
But no lead is safe when Messi is on the pitch in front of a sellout crowd of 27,642 fans. the largest for a Galaxy match at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Messi and his long-time friend and Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba continued to work, exchanging passes back and forth until Messi equalized with his left foot in the goal area two minutes into extra time.
Galaxy's Dejan Joveljic scored after a rebound in the 75th minute to give the team a 1-0 lead.
Up to this point, Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender was the player of the match, finishing the game with eight saves after stopping several shots from Galaxy stars such as Riqui Puig, Joseph Paintsil and Miki Yamane.
Aside from Callender's outstanding play, Inter Miami largely struggled until Messi's breakthrough.
Inter Miami looked slow and old because the former Barcelona stars weren't named Messi and Alba. Midfielder Sergio Busquets had problems, especially in the first half.
Luis Suarez struggled throughout the game and had to be substituted in the 67th minute. He almost had a shot on goal before halftime but couldn't get enough of it in the goal area. It still wouldn't have counted as Alba was offside in that sequence.
Messi almost scored in the 89th minute when his left foot was just wide of the post after he tried to fire a shot into the net past Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy, who had four saves before the game-winning goal .
A minute earlier, Galaxy's Mark Delgado received his second yellow card in the 88th minute, resulting in a red card and a sending off. The Galaxy finished the game with 10 players.
Messi led all players with eight shots in the game, three of which were on target. But the Galaxy doubled Inter Miami's total shots in this affair (23-11) and had nearly double the number of shots on goal (9-5).
After two games in five nights, Inter Miami's next game is Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against Orlando City at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Messi reacted in extra time.
Jordi Alba delivered a pass to Lionel Messi, who scored a goal in the 92nd minute of the game.
In Los Angeles, we're all on equal footing.
Messi misses in the 89th minute: LA Galaxy 1, Inter Miami 0
So close: Messi almost squeezed a shot into the left side in the 89th minute, but it was of no use. There is seven minutes of extra time.
Galaxy's Mark Delgado received his second yellow card in the 88th minute and the Galaxy will play with 10 men in the final minutes of the game.
Inter Miami's Diego Gomez, who scored the opening goal, has a right leg injury.
Luckily for Inter Miami, LA Galaxy's Puig and Painstill missed their shots in the 79th minute.
It was a beautiful sequence for LA Galaxy as Joveljic's kick helped them take a 1-0 lead against Inter Miami.
Riqui Puig's shot was blocked by Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callendar, but the ball went straight to Galaxy's Mark Delgado, who hit Joveljic on the left side.
Messi and Inter Miami are 1-0 behind after the 75th minute.
Messi's free kick from 30 yards hit a defender and set up the shot for Diego Gomez. But Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy is doing his part, as is Drake Callender for Inter Miami.
LA Galaxy's Miki Yamane missed a shot at the right post in the 66th minute.
And Inter Miami has already gone to the bench: Luis Suarez and Robert Taylor, who scored in the opening goal, have been substituted. Included are David Ruiz, who scored against Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia in pre-season, and Leo Campana.
Messi tried from distance, but Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy caught him. He also had a right-footed shot that deflected in off a Galaxy player in the 60th minute.
In an action-packed second-half sequence, the Galaxy had two shots on net that were blocked by Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender.
A shot by Galaxy's Martín Cáceres was blocked in the 57th minute, and Joseph Paintsil was blocked in the 59th minute.
Paintsil, one of the fastest players on the pitch, went down after a challenge but eventually recovered. He had his right knee examined.
Half-time updates:
Lionel Messi was relatively quiet in the first half, but Sunday night's game between Inter Miami and the Los Angeles Galaxy got off to a fiery start, capping the first weekend of the 2024 MLS season.
Galaxy stars Riqui Puig and Joseph Paintsil have fired shots at Inter Miami's goal, but goalkeeper Drake Callendar has been the man of the match so far.
Callendar has three early saves as Inter Miami and LA Galaxy enter halftime tied 0-0. The game will be streamed on Apple TV in the MLS Season Pass.
Messi had a shot on net but didn't get enough of the shot in the first half. Shortly before the half-time whistle he almost set up a chance for Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez. But Suarez was not ready to shoot on goal and Alba was offside.
The Galaxy dominated possession early, but Callendar kept Inter Miami in this game until the second half.
As MLS enters its 29th season, Messi continues to be the biggest draw since joining Inter Miami last summer. He also surpassed 500 million followers on Instagram this weekend, making him one of the most followed on the social media app.
Inter Miami's Diego Gomez, who scored in Wednesday's opener, shot at goal in the 46th minute, but to no avail.
It was Inter Miami's best opportunity of the evening so far, but was handled by Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy.
Messi and Galaxy's Edwin Cerrillo exchanged a series of words with each other in the 35th minute.
That prompted Luis Suarez to come over and intervene, but pushed Cerrillo away.
Messi and Cerrillo continued to tweet after the sequence as tensions rose in Los Angeles.
Messi made his first shot attempt towards the net, but he couldn't get enough of it in the 30th minute.
Messi picked up the ball after a deflection and Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy saved it.
LA Galaxy's Riqui Puig had a dangerous shot that was blocked by Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callendar in the 28th minute.
Callendar has been the best player on the field for Inter Miami so far.
LA Galaxy's Joseph Paintsil was blocked by Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callendar in the 25th minute. The Galaxy dominated the first few minutes against Inter Miami.
Yoshida's header goes wide after a free kick opportunity from LA Galaxy in the 23rd minute.
No player had trouble early in this game than Inter Miami's Sergio Busquets, who received a yellow card for bringing down Joseph Paintsil.
The Galaxy had a chance to take an early lead, but Inter Miami stopped all of that.
Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callendar blocked Riqui Puig's penalty in the 12th minute, ensuring the game remained a draw.
Inter Miami's Sergio Busquets pulled Galaxy's Joseph Paintsil on the shoulder to cause the foul.
LA Galaxy star Riqui Puig was charged with a foul on Inter Miami's Sergio Busquets in the opening minutes, but it appeared to be a clean affair.
The substitute referees who started the game also pointed the wrong way when he blew his whistle, MLS spokesman Taylor Twellman explained during the broadcast.
Messi is in rarefied air on Instagram as the second person to have at least 500 million followers on the social media network. Football fans know who has more, but here are the top 10 most followed accounts on Instagram.
Messi is in the starting lineup and Inter Miami will wear their black Noche Buena jerseys during a regular season game for the second time since Messi joined the club.
Messi and Luis Suárez were all smiles as they stepped off the Inter Miami bus this evening. Here is a video from MLS:
Former LA Galaxy star David Beckham will be at Sunday's game with his new team Inter Miami.
Many European stars have graced the MLS in recent years, but Beckham's stint with LA Galaxy from 2007 to 2012 is most remembered and cited as a defining moment in the league's history.
After all, there is no Messi at Inter Miami if there is no Beckham at LA Galaxy.
Inter Miami has a +130 chance to win, LA Galaxy has a +170 chance to win and both teams have a +280 chance to tie based on BetMGM moneyline odds.
∎ Safid Deen – Inter Miami 4, LA Galaxy 1
Messi scores twice, Luis Suárez scores again and another Inter Miami player finds the net in a 4-1 win over LA Galaxy.
∎ Jim Reineking – Inter Miami 3, LA Galaxy 1
The Galaxy, once an MLS powerhouse, spent the offseason conducting an aggressive roster overhaul to improve a team that finished 13th in the Western Conference last season. The Galaxy added designated players Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec to team up with incumbent Riqui Puig in attack. It appears that the Galaxy's strategy may be to outscore their opponents, as their defense remains a glaring weakness for the team. While Paintsil and Pec first have to get used to their new teammates, Lionel Messi and Co. have already played a regular season game. It could be one-way traffic in Carson against a Galaxy team in transition.
Messi didn't score but orchestrated both of Inter Miami's goals in their 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake in their 2024 MLS season opener on Wednesday night.
Messi set up Robert Taylor's first goal of the season in the 39th minute and dropped a pass to Suarez, who assisted Diego Gomez's goal in the 83rd minute of the game.
Messi and Suarez each had one last shot at goal in the final minutes of the game, but to no avail.
Messi provided two assists in Inter Miami's 3-1 win over LAFC on September 3, 2023, which was attended by celebrities such as Prince Harry, Leonardo DiCaprio and Selena Gomez.
Real Salt Lake's Andrew Brody, whom Messi dribbled over as he lay on the pitch in the season opener, commented on the game on his Instagram account on Thursday.
“For those asking, yes, I was the cone on the ground there.” Brody posted on his Instagram Story a day after the game.
The fallout from Lionel Messi's absence from an Inter Miami game in Hong Kong has resulted in two more chances to see him play in the United States next month.
Argentina will play El Salvador on March 22 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and Nigeria on March 26 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Major League Soccer is back at its peak in the United States, and you can thank Lionel Messi for that. This will be Messi's first full season with the team since joining last summer and captivated fans by leading the club to the League Cup title a month after his arrival. In 2024, expectations are even higher.
But fans will have to temper their expectations about how often they will see Messi play – if they see him at all – as the 36-year-old star has a grueling schedule ahead of him.
Lionel Messi – the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and 2022 World Cup winner – begins his first full season with Inter Miami CF. Messi's presence has made Inter Miami the betting favorite to win the MLS Cup on December 7th.
Are these high expectations for Messi and Miami justified? USA TODAY Network soccer reporters and writers aren't so sure.
(All games can be streamed on Apple TV with the MLS Season Pass.)
- February 21: Inter Miami 2, Real Salt Lake 0
- February 25, at the Los Angeles Galaxy, 8:30 p.m. ET
- March 2, vs. Orlando City, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
- March 7, Nashville SC/Moca Winner, 9 p.m. ET (Concacaf Champions League)
- March 10, vs. CF Montréal, 5:00 p.m. ET
- March 13, vs. Nashville SC/Moca Winner, 8:15 p.m. ET (Concacaf Champions League)
- March 16, DC United, 2 p.m. ET
➤ Inter Miami's 2024 schedule
Inter Miami wasn't exactly an elite MLS team in 2023. In fact, they were outside the playoff bubble for most of the season. However, in 2024, they are the favorites to win the MLS Cup.
Even if Lionel Messi stays healthy, Miami won't easily advance to the MLS Cup. They'll have to contend with a variety of great teams, including last year's winners Columbus Crew SC and last year's runners-up Los Angeles FC.
Here are the 2024 MLS Cup favorites, courtesy of BetMGM:
- Inter Miami (+250)
- Los Angeles FC (+800)
- Columbus Crew (+900)
- FC Cincinnati (+1200)
- Philadelphia Union (+1400)
- New York Red Bulls (+1600)
- Seattle Sounders (+1600)
- Orlando City SC (+2000)
- Atlanta United (+2200)
We may occasionally recommend products and services that may be of interest to you. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may receive an affiliate fee. USA TODAY operates independently and this has no influence on our reporting.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for referring viewers to betting services. Sports betting providers have no influence on the newsrooms or reporting and are in no way dependent on these revenues. The General Terms and Conditions. The general terms and conditions can be found on the operator's website. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24 hours a day at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800- 9- on. WITH-IT (IN). You must be at least 21 years old to play. Sports betting and gambling are not legal everywhere. Make sure you comply with the laws where you live.