Lionel Messi

Inter Miami will name Javier Mascherano as its next head coach, per Felipe Cardenas and Pablo Maurer of The Athletic.

Mascherano has a long-standing connection with Inter Miami star Lionel Messi.

"The 40-year-old will be reunited with Lionel Messi after the two spent nearly a decade together at Barcelona, winning 19 titles as teammates at the Catalan club," Cardenas and Maurer wrote. "Messi and Mascherano played on the Argentina national team for 13 years and remain close friends."

Mascherano replaces Gerardo "Tata" Martino, who left the club for personal reasons.

Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas made it clear to reporters Friday that "familiarity with Leo and the other stars is an advantage in every aspect."

"I spoke to Lionel on Saturday after he and Tata had spoken," Mas said, per The Athletic. "I asked him, 'What is important to you and what is important to get the best out of our roster and starting XI. How do we improve?' Leo shared his thoughts with me. This is a very attractive position for a coach. We got it down to three final candidates by Tuesday. Familiarity with Leo and the other stars is an advantage in every aspect."

Mascherano most recently coached Argentina in the Summer Olympics, where they fell in the quarterfinals to eventual silver medalist France. Argentina won two matches and lost one in group play before falling 1-0 to France in the knockout round.

He had also led Argentina's Under-20 and Under-23 teams since 2021, winning 28 matches, losing 12 and drawing 10.

Inter Miami just had the best regular season (by winning percentage) in MLS history, winning 22 matches, losing four and drawing eight for 74 points in 34 matches.

However, ninth-place Atlanta United stunned Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, winning two games to one.

The table is certainly set for Inter Miami to find success, especially with Messi still around. His chemistry with Mascherano can certainly help matters as well as the club looks for its first-ever MLS Cup.

Head coach Tata Martino is reportedly leaving Inter Miami "effective immediately" for "personal reasons," according to Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami finished the MLS regular season atop the table with a league-record 74 points but were upset by No. 9 seed Atlanta United in the opening round of the playoffs, ending their season in shocking fashion.

"It's not a success when you lose in the quarterfinal round," Martino told reporters after Inter Miami was eliminated from the playoffs. "If one thinks about where we were last November, there has been progress for the club, not just the team. If one considers the expectations we had for these playoffs, we've come up very short."

Inter Miami has already seen changes in key positions during 2024. Raul Sanllehi was appointed as president of football operations in June, likely spelling the eventual end for current sporting director Chris Henderson.

There is also the question of how much longer the team's current core group of Messi (37), Luis Suárez (37), Sergio Busquets (36) and Jordi Alba (35) will continue to play.

The hope for Inter Miami, of course, is that Messi's presence alone has made the club a destination for other big-name talents around the globe, much as co-owner David Beckham once provided for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Messi's stardom is unrivaled, of course, but he will also be uniquely impossible to replace once he retires, whenever that may be.

For now, however, the team is left to find a replacement for the 61-year-old Martino, who in two seasons led the team to a 2023 Leagues Cup title and helped turn around what was once a cellar-dweller club.

The addition of Messi is primarily credited with inspiring that change, and for good reason—he posted an absurd 20 goals and 16 assists in just 15 league starts this season. How much credit Martino—who previously managed Barcelona and the Argentina and Mexican national teams, among other high-profile appointments—deserves for the turnaround is harder to gauge, though he certainly caught plenty of blame for the team's early playoff departure.

Whether that played into his decision to leave or not is less clear. But Inter Miami is now left to fill his position as they hope to maximize the years they have left with Messi.

In a win-or-go-home game featuring Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF against Atlanta United FC, a goal in the 76th minute sealed a 3-2 victory for Atlanta at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. With the win, Atlanta advances to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, while Miami is eliminated.

Despite Messi scoring a goal in the second half, fans were left stunned by the loss.

Miami held the top seed in the Eastern Conference and with their elimination, all of the top three seeds in the East have been knocked out in the first round.

Miami and Atlanta entered Saturday's game tied with one win each. Miami took Game 1 with a 2-1 victory, while Atlanta claimed Game 2, also 2-1.

Both teams scored early in the playoff matchup. Inter Miami struck first with a goal from Matias Rojas in the 17th minute, quickly followed by an Atlanta United goal from Jamal Thiare in the 19th minute.

In the 21st minute, forward Thiare scored once again to give Atlanta the 2-1 edge going into half time.

Out of halftime, Messi found his first goal of the postseason in the 65th minute, to even out the score 2-2.

To seal the game, Atlanta's Bartosz Slisz scored in the 76th minute, securing the victory.

Miami registered a staggering 25 shot attempts compared to Atlanta's nine and controlled 64.3 percent of possession, yet they couldn't secure the win.

Following the match, Miami fans voiced their disappointment on social media over the loss to the lower-ranked Atlanta team.

Atlanta advances to face No. 4 Orlando City SC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

In a hard-fought battle featuring Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF, Atlanta United FC claimed a 2-1 victory with a dramatic extra-time goal, sealing the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and handing Miami a disappointing Game 2 loss in the MLS Eastern Conference Playoffs.

The 22-8-4 Miami team and the 10-10-14 Atlanta team are now knotted at 1-1 in the series thanks to a last minute goal by Atlanta's Xande Silva.

It wasn't until the 40th minute that either team found the net, with Miami striking first on a goal from David Martinez, assisted by Federico Redondo. Right after halftime, Atlanta responded with a goal from Derrick Williams, leveling the score at 1-1.

The score remained tied at the end of regulation, leading to four minutes of stoppage time. Right out of the gate, Atlanta's Silva found the net off an assist from Aleksey Miranchuk, securing the victory.

Despite Miami holding 58.6 percent possession, they managed only two shots on goal compared to Atlanta's four. Messi remains scoreless in his first MLS postseason games.

After the match, Miami fans took to social media to express their disappointment over the loss to the lower-ranked Atlanta team.

Miami and Atlanta will face off in Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs next Saturday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with both teams eager to secure a crucial victory in their postseason battle and move onto the quarterfinals.

Beats by Dre rounded up a collection of some of the best current and former athletes for its latest ad campaign.

Narrated by WNBA star Angel Reese, the "Athletes Get It" campaign features appearances from Lebron James, Shedeur Sanders, Lionel Messi, Serena Williams, Shohei Ohtani and many more legends.

There is also a quick glimpse of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James hitting a jumper before transitioning to LeBron adjusting his Beats by Dre earbud as he prepares to attack the rim.

The script starts with Reese's voiceover informing us that "it's called chasing your dreams" before showing the stars practicing at their respective sport with easter eggs about their nicknames or accomplishments, including "grand slams" for Williams, "50/50 club" for Ohtani and "kings" for James.

Reese, who also has a cameo in the ad and is referred to as a walking double-double, ends the ad by asking the viewer "what's stopping you" from chasing after your dreams.

Sanders was one of 15 college football players who signed an NIL deal with Beats by Dre as part of the company's inaugural "Beats Elite" class last year.

The "Athletes Get It" campaign is designed to spotlight the brand that athletes use to lock in with so they can set their mind in the right place before dominating.

Lionel Messi assisted on Jordi Alba's game-winning goal en route to Inter Miami's 2-1 victory over Atlanta United on Friday in the first game of the best-of-three first round.

Inter Miami outshot Atlanta United 22-8 (12-2 shots on goal). They also possessed the ball 65.7 percent of the match and had 12 corner kicks to Atlanta United's four.

But the match was tied at one entering halftime.

Luis Suárez got Inter Miami on the scoreboard first in the second minute.

Messi nearly put his team up 2-0 in the 29th minute but hit the post. The ball bounced to Marcelo Weigandt, who fired another shot. However, Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan was there for the tremendous save.

Ten minutes later, Saba Lobjanidze put Atlanta on the board after a through ball from Pedro Amador.

A spirit Atlanta United effort would fall short, though, with the Alba goal proving to be the difference.

Messi didn't score a goal, but he still fared well all things considered.

Fans were impressed with Messi and Inter Miami's performance.

Atlanta United will now host Inter Miami for Game 2 on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. ET. An Inter Miami win sends the team into the Eastern Conference semifinals against the winner of the Orlando City SC vs. Charlotte FC series. A loss brings the series back to Miami for the third-and-final match on Saturday, Nov. 9.

Major League Soccer announced its Landon Donovan MVP finalists on Thursday, with the Inter Miami forward pair of Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez highlighting the list.

Other finalists included Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernández, D.C. United forward Christian Benteke and Portland Timbers midfielder Evander.

Messi will present an interesting case study in what voters value most.

The 37-year-old continues to be an absolute menace. His 20 goals were tied for second in MLS, while his 16 assists tied for third, and he did that in just 19 games. Inter Miami were far and away the league's best team this season, registering 74 points, which was eight points clear of any other squad.

Did he play enough games to warrant the MVP trophy, however? That will be the question.

His teammate, the 37-year-old Suárez, tied him in goals with 20 across 27 matches, adding nine assists.

Benteke, 33, led all scorers with 23 goals in 30 contests, adding seven assists. D.C. United did not qualify for the postseason, however.

Evander, 26, tied for first in assists with 19 and added an impressive 15 goals across 28 games, completing 82.5 percent of his passes with 89 key passes. Portland just snuck into the playoffs, though a 5-0 defeat to Vancouver quickly ended the club's season.

Finally, the 25-year-old Hernández was fifth in goals this season (19) and tied for eighth in assists (14) across 27 games, leading the Columbus Crew to the No. 2 overall seed in the Eastern Conference. If there was anybody who might claim the MVP award over Messi, it would be Hernández.

Still, it's hard to argue with Messi's overall output and impact despite missing nearly half the season. Perhaps voters will dock him points for missed time—or perhaps he and Suárez will split some votes as teammates, hurting both of their MVP candidacies—but there's no doubt that Messi was the best player in the league when healthy.

Lionel Messi's decision to come to the United States and play in Major League Soccer as arguably the greatest player in the sport's history gave the league quite the international headline and generated even more attention.

And he is getting paid accordingly.

ESPN's Jeff Carlisle cited the latest MLS player salary data that was released Thursday and noted the Inter Miami star's annual guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million is more than the payroll of 22 other teams in the league.

That $20.4 million total is just his salary, and Carlisle pointed out Miami co-owner Jorge Mas previously said he is paid between $50 and $60 million in all with part of his compensation coming from the league's Apple TV deal.

Given Messi's contract and Sergio Busquets checking in as the league's third-highest paid player at $8.77 million, it comes at no surprise Inter Miami spent more than any other team in the league.

And the gap wasn't even close, as its $41.7 million was nearly $10 million ahead of Toronto FC and more than double the amount spent by 23 different teams in the league.

Here are the 10 teams that spent the most money this season:

1. Inter Miami - $41.7 million
2. Toronto FC - $31.81 million
3. LAFC - $22.08 million
4. LA Galaxy - $21.96 million
5. Nashville SC - $21.86 million
6. FC Cincinnati - $20.95 million
7. Houston Dynamo - $20.52 million
8. New England Revolution - $18.88 million
9. New York Red Bulls - $18.08 million
10. Austin FC - $17.60 million

While Inter Miami won the Supporters' Shield with an MLS-record 74 points this season, not every team that spent a significant amount of money even made the playoffs. Toronto FC, Nashville SC, New England Revolution and Austin FC didn't make the field despite being in the top 10 in money spent.

All of them spent more than the Columbus Crew, who are the defending MLS Cup champions and arguably Inter Miami's biggest threat in the upcoming playoffs. They checked in at 16th with $16.57 million in total spent but finished with the second-most points in the league with 66.

They also defeated Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup on the way to the title in that in-season tournament and could face Messi and Co. in a rematch in the Eastern Conference Final.

Of course, defeating Inter Miami will be much easier said than done in the playoffs, as teams will have to figure out a way to counter Messi. He is right in the middle of the MVP race despite playing in just 19 of his team's 34 regular-season games and finished with a head-turning 20 goals and 16 assists.

He already helped his club take home the Supporters' Shield and will now look to win the MLS Cup and further deliver on his notable contract.