MLS

Florida belongs to Inter Miami.

Led by Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez braces, Inter Miami annihilated Orlando City, 5-0 on Saturday.

It was quite a night for Suárez, who opened his MLS account and added two assists on the evening, while Messi was up to his usual tricks:

When the club brought Messi's former Barcelona teammate to South Beach, this was the type of performance it was surely envisioning, and the duo didn't disappoint.

That had MLS fans and pundits alike more than a little impressed on social media:

The duo will face far tougher competition in league play this year, certainly, but one of the fears regarding Suárez was that the 37-year-old may have understandably lost a step or two.

That's likely the case, but it sure didn't matter on Saturday, and even if he doesn't have the legs of yesteryear, he's still a dangerous finisher. Blowout wins also allow Inter Miami to cut his evening short, as they did after 67 minutes.

Messi, meanwhile, went the full 90. Not too shabby for the 36-year-old.

In all, this was a dismantling of epic proportions. Inter Miami actually conceded the majority of possession, holding 47.4 percent, but was devastating on the counter-attack. That led to an 11-9 advantage on shots (6-3 advantage on shots and goals), though Orlando City did scrounge together five corners to just one for Miami.

None of that particularly mattered, because the moment Suárez and Messi found any pocket of space—and Orlando City provided plenty of them—they pounced. Make it two wins, a draw and seven points for Inter Miami out of three games, while Orlando City remains without a point after two contests.

The Professional Referee Organization (PRO) replaced the referee for Saturday's match between Inter Miami and Orlando City after photos surfaced of him wearing an Inter Miami shirt, according to The Athletic's Tom Bogert.

PRO confirmed to Bogert it removed Guiherme Ceretta from the fixture, citing "a potential conflict."

This comes amid the PRO's continued lockout of the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA), which is the union for referees in North America. Due to the lockout, replacement officials are working MLS games to open the 2024 season.

Per Bogert, PRO is leaning on refs who have worked at the college and youth levels along with those experienced in lower divisions professionally.

The Athletic's Pablo Maurer reported MLS executive vice president Nelson Rodriguez issued a memo to the league's board of governors saying MLS is "pleased with the performance" of the replacement referees so far.

PSRA president Peter Manikowski told Maurer, however, that "hard metrics" point to the difference between the replacements and those in the union. Manikowski cited a high number of video reviews along with "the amount of time the ball is in play, number of incorrect offside decisions stopping good attacks, and number of incorrect/avoidable yellow/red cards."

Ceretta's demotion perhaps points to another issue in that PSRA refs have likely been more thoroughly vetted and are more aware of removing any perceived conflicts of interest.

The Hong Kong government expressed its disappointment in Lionel Messi not playing in the friendly between the country and Inter Miami on Sunday, as the Argentine superstar reportedly recovers from a hamstring issues.

"Regarding Messi not playing the match today, the Government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed about the organizer's' arrangement. The organizer owes all football fans an explanation," the Hong Kong government said in a statement, per ESPN. "The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) will take follow-up actions with the organizer according to the terms and conditions, which includes reducing the amount of funding as a result of Messi not playing the match."

The MSEC had originally granted $1.92 million for the event. Tatler Asia, the match's organizing body, said in its own statement it had no knowledge that both Messi and teammate Luis Suárez would miss the match.

"Despite some news reports, Tatler did not have any information about the non-participation of Messi or Suárez prior to kick off," the organization noted. "Messi and Suárez were deemed unfit to play by their team's medical department, to everyone's, including our, disappointment."

Inter Miami manager Gerardo Martino said Messi was dealing with "swelling in the adductor [muscle]" and that the medical staff advised that playing him would be "very risky."

Suárez, meanwhile, had a "problem with his knee" and "woke up swollen after the second match in [Saudi] Arabia," leaving him unable to participate against Hong Kong.

"We understand the disappointment from the crowd who came to the stadium today that Leo and Luis were absent," Martino added.

That crowd chanted "refund" throughout the match, clearly displeased that Miami's top stars weren't on the pitch. Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba also started the match on the bench, though both were subbed on after an hour.

Nonetheless, Inter Miami won 4-1 behind goals from Robert Taylor, Lawson Sunderland, Leonardo Campana and Ryan Sailor. It was the club's first win in its postseason tour, which previously included a draw against El Salvador and losses to FC Dallas, Al Hilal and Al Nassr.

Fans were also left disappointed in the Al Nassr friendly, as Cristiano Ronaldo didn't play due to injury and Messi only made a brief cameo as an 83rd-minute sub.

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi will not play in Thursday's friendly match against Al-Nassr in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

According to ESPN FC, Messi was not included in the team sheet for the match, which was originally being billed as "The Last Dance" due to the fact that it could have been the final time Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo faced each other.

Messi's absence from the lineup comes after Al-Nassr head coach Luís Castro announced Wednesday that Ronaldo would miss the match since he had yet to full recover from an injury, per Kyle Bonn of Sporting News.

Messi is dealing with a hamstring injury, while Ronaldo is working his way back from a calf ailment.

ESPN's Chris Wright noted that Messi and Ronaldo have played 36 competitive matches against each other during their illustrious careers. Messi has the upper hand with 16 wins, 11 losses and nine draws.

Their most recent competitive meeting was in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League group stage, which saw Ronaldo score twice in a 3-0 win for Juventus over Barcelona.

More recently, Messi and Ronaldo faced off in a friendly in January 2023 between Paris Saint-Germain and the Saudi Pro League XI. Ronaldo scored twice and Messi scored once, as the Saudi side won 5-4.

Both Messi and Ronaldo are reaching the twilight of their careers, as Messi is 36, while Ronaldo will turn 39 on Monday.

Even if neither of them were to play another match, they will always be considered two of the greatest soccer players of all time.

Messi is second all time with 821 goals across all competitions, plus he is a four-time UEFA Champions League winner with Barcelona and a one-time FIFA World Cup and one-time Copa América winner with Argentina, as well as an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, two-time FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner and one-time FIFA World Cup Silver Boot winner.

Ronaldo is soccer's all-time leading goal scorer with 873 goals, plus he won the UEFA Champions League four times with Real Madrid and once with Manchester United, and he won the UEFA European Championship with Portugal in 2016. Ronaldo is also a five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or and he won the UEFA European Championship Golden Boot in 2020.

Messi and Ronaldo spent most of their careers with top-tier European clubs and faced each other in many big matches, but that may no longer be the case with Messi in the United States and Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.

Unless another friendly is scheduled in the future, it is possible Messi and Ronaldo have played against each other for the final time.

Inter Miami and veteran striker Luis Suárez agreed to a one-year contract with an option for 2025 on Friday.

Suárez joins Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba among the former FC Barcelona teammates in Miami. Messi and Suárez played together at Barcelona from 2014 to 2020, forming perhaps the most dominant 1-2 scoring punch of this generation. Barcelona won La Liga four times and were the 2015 Champions League winner during their time as teammates.

Messi's arrival at Inter Miami this summer stoked perhaps the largest increase in fan interest MLS has ever seen. Fans paid thousands of dollars above retail price just to get in and see the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, and he did not disappoint. Messi led Inter Miami, a basement dweller before his signing, to a Leagues Cup championship—their first title of any sort since entering MLS as an expansion franchise in 2020.

The addition of Suárez will no doubt increase hype heading into next season for MLS' most-watched team.

Suárez most recently played for Grêmio in Brazil. Since leaving Barcelona in 2020, he bounced around from Atlético Madrid to Nacional to Grêmio and has now settled in Miami for at least the next year.

It's clear Suárez is past his prime at age 36, but that's not going to stop the hype train.

After scoring the joint-fewest goals in 2023, Toronto FC made the forward line their priority to open the 2024 MLS SuperDraft.

Toronto selected Lipscomb forward Tyrese Spicer with the No. 1 overall pick. Toronto Maple Leafs star John Tavares officially announced the selection:

Here are first-round results from the SuperDraft as they happen:

2024 MLS SuperDraft Round 1 Results

1. Toronto FC: Tyrese Spicer, FW, Lipscomb
2. Colorado Rapids: Wayne Frederick, MF/DF, Duke
3. FC Dallas (via Miami): Logan Farrington, FW, Oregon State
4. Colorado Rapids (via Los Angeles): Kimani Stewart-Baynes, FW, Maryland
5. Austin FC: Nate Jones, DF, Washington
6. Chicago Fire FC: Bryan Dowd, GK, Notre Dame
7. D.C. United: Jacob Murrell, FW, Georgetown
8. New York City FC: Malachi Jones, FW, Lipscomb
9. Minnesota United: Hugo Bachrach, DF, Indiana
10. CF Montréal: Grayson Doody, DF, UCLA
11. Nashville SC (via Portland): Wyatt Meyer, DF, California
12. New York Red Bulls (via Charlotte and Colorado): Aidan O'Connor, DF, Virginia
13. San Jose Earthquakes: Jamar Ricketts, DF, Cal State Northridge
14. Charlotte FC (via New York and Colorado): Tyger Smalls, FW, Loyola Marymount
15. Inter Miami CF (via Dallas): Yannick Bright, MF, New Hampshire
16. Real Salt Lake (via Vancouver): Matthew Bell, FW, Marshall
17. St. Louis City FC (via Nashville): Hosei Kijima, MF, Wake Forest
18. Real Salt Lake: Jose (Kevin) Bonilla, DF, Portland
19. Atlanta United: Jayden Hibbert, GK, UConn
20. Minnesota United (via New England): Marcus Caldeira, FW, West Virginia 
21. Orlando City (via Colorado): Jeorgio Kocevski, MF, Syracuse
22. Sporting Kansas City: Ryan Schewe, GK, Georgetown
23. Seattle Sounders FC: Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, DF, Washington
24. Inter Miami CF (via Philadelphia): Ryan Carmichael, FW, Hofstra
25. Orlando City: Yutaro Tsukada, MF, West Virginia
26. Houston Dynamo FC: Stephen Annor Gyamfi, FW, Virginia
27. FC Cincinnati: Brian Schaefer, DF, South Florida
28. Los Angeles Football Club: Jackson Lee, GK, West Virginia
29. Columbus Crew: Jayden Da, FW, Duquesne

Full results via MLSSoccer.com

Spicer scored 14 goals and had three assists in 16 games for the Bisons. The goal tally nearly matches what he did across the entirety of his first three years at the school (15). His 2023 breakout was richly rewarded.

Spicer's potent finishing is sorely needed in Toronto, though some considered him a slight reach that high. Travis Clark of MLSSoccer.com projected him to go ninth overall.

It didn't take long for fans to see the first major draft-day trade. Inter Miami and FC Dallas swapped their first-round picks, with Dallas moving up from No. 15 to No. 3. Miami also received $250,000 in 2024 general allocation money and $50,000 in GAM funds for 2025.

With Luis Suarez reportedly on his way to South Florida, Inter Miami will need as much salary cap flexibility to properly fill out its star-studded roster.

Dallas, meanwhile, used the third overall pick to select Oregon State forward Logan Farrington, who had 15 goals and seven assists after transferring to the Beavers for the 2023 season.

With two of the top four picks, the Colorado Rapids had the opportunity to make some meaningful additions to the roster through the SuperDraft. They got Duke midfielder/defender Wayne Frederick with the No. 2 pick and targeted Maryland forward Kimani Stewart-Baynes two selections later.

Frederick is coming off only his sophomore season at Duke, so he could be a high-risk, high-reward choice. Stewart-Baynes is another underclassman, but he was crowned the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after totaling three goals and seven assists.

The Rapids have fallen hard since finishing second in the Supporters Shield standings in 2021. Coach Chris Armas and team president Pádraig Smith will hope Frederick and Stewart-Baynes emerge at the very least as impactful contributors on the next Colorado squad that's a playoff contender.

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami has quite the preseason plan.

The MLS side announced Monday it will host Argentine side Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys at the DRV PNK Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 15 as part its preseason preparations.

"I am delighted to welcome my beloved Newell's to our home here in Miami. It will be a special match due to everything Newell's Old Boys means to me," Inter Miami manager Tata Martino said in the club's statement. "It will also be a good opportunity to prepare for what will surely be an exciting season."

Both Martino and Messi hail from Rosario, where Newell's Old Boys plays. Messi joined the club at the age of six and played there for six years before signing with Barcelona, where he spent the majority of his career. He later would add stops at PSG and now Inter Miami.

Inter Miami will also travel to Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh Season Cup and matchups against Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr and Al-Hilal.

The club will additionally face the El Salvadoran national team before embarking on an extensive international preseason tour that will include matchups against the Hong Kong national team and the J1 League champions Vissel Kobe alongside the trip to Saudi Arabia.

The 2024 MLS SuperDraft will take place on Dec. 19, as some of the top prospects in the college game find their professional home.

This will be the first year that collegiate sophomores and juniors will be added to the draft pool, alongside other draft-eligible groups, meaning this iteration of the event should be a memorable one.

Below, we'll take a look at the current draft order and preview a few of the top prospects available.

Draft Order

1. Toronto FC

2. Colorado Rapids

3. Inter Miami FC

4. Colorado Rapids

5. Austin FC

6. Chicago Fire FC

7. D.C. United

8. New York City FC

9. Minnesota United FC

10. CF Montréal

11. Portland Timbers

12. Colorado Rapids

13. San Jose Earthquakes

14. New York Red Bulls

15. FC Dallas

16. Real Salt Lake

17. Nashville SC

18. Real Salt Lake

19. Atlanta United

20. New England Revolution

21. Colorado Rapids

22. Sporting Kansas City

23. Seattle Sounders FC

24. Inter Miami FC

25. Orlando City SC

26. Houston Dynamo FC

27. FC Cincinnati

28. LAFC

29. Columbus Crew

Prospects to Watch

Jacob Murrell, a forward from Georgetown, scored 11 goals and added four assists as a sophomore for the Hoyas this past season. The former Gatorade National Player of the Year now has 18 goals and eight assists in his two collegiate seasons and is fast emerging as one of the most intriguing domestic prospects.

Nate Jones, a central defender for Washington, has made 41 starts for the Huskies in his four seasons and helped the team keep three clean sheets this past season.

Josh Jones, a defender from Louisville, has made 50 starts for the Cardinals in the past three seasons and helped them keep three clean sheets this past season. He should be one of the top defensive players available.

Matthew Bell's versatility to play in either the midfield or in the attack will make him an intriguing prospect. The Marshall star put up 10 goals and 12 assists this past season.

Jefferson Amaya has an eye for goal from his midfield position, with 10 goals and 10 assists in his first two seasons for High Point. Expect MLS clubs to have eyes for him.

Jason Shokalook lit up opposing defenses for Akron this past season, with 14 goals and five assists. He now has 19 goals and 13 assists in his collegiate career.

Kalani Kossa-Rienzi has made 68 starts for Washington in the past four years, putting up six goals and 11 assists from his midfield position.

Kimani Stewart-Baynes is a player to watch, as he'll potentially be one of the top players off the board. He had three goals and seven assists for Maryland this past season.

Marcus Caldeira has filled the score sheet in his two seasons at West Virginia, with 17 goals and seven assists across 38 starts.

And finally, Clemson defender Pape Mar Boye just helped his school win a national championship. He's a player to keep an eye on.

Major League Soccer announced that the league will not enter its teams into the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, according to ESPN's Kyle Bonagura.

The league will enter teams from MLS Next Pro into the country's oldest soccer tournament instead, which serves as a developmental league for the MLS. The U.S. Open Cup is open to both professional and amateur clubs throughout the country and has been held nearly every year since 1914, with brief absences in 2020 and 2021. The Houston Dynamo won the most recent final, defeating Inter Miami on Sept. 27 by the score of 2-1.

MLS commissioner Don Garber has expressed his negative views regarding the tournament in the past, as not all matches are available to be broadcast and are often played on subpar fields.

"I would say that they're not games that we would want our product to be shown to a large audience," Garber said in May, per ESPN's Jeff Carlisle. "So frankly, I'm not all that disappointed that the audience is small. So I appreciate the enthusiasm about it, but we need to get better with the U.S. Open Cup. It's just not the proper reflection of what soccer in America at the professional level needs to be."

A determination regarding the league's future involvement will be made at the end of the 2024 season after MLS Next Pro teams are entered into the Open Cup. However, the MLS released a statement that didn't completely rule out involvement in the future.

"In recent months, the MLS sporting and competition group has been collaborating with U.S. Soccer to shape the future role of MLS teams in the Open Cup," the league said in the statement (via Bonagura). "MLS remains committed to working with the federation to evolve and elevate the Open Cup for everyone involved in the years ahead."

In recent years, MLS teams the were in the tournament had already begun fielding reserve sides in the early rounds.