Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are BACK: The serious business starts tonight vs. Real Salt Lake after a disastrous preseason tour – but with Luis Suarez arriving, David Beckham’s team will still take some stopping in pursuit of MLS glory

The last time we saw Lionel Messi face an MLS side in South Florida, the mood around Inter Miami was noticeably lighter.

The club had organized a friendly match against New York City FC on November 10 to celebrate Messi’s eighth Ballon d’Or victory, under the name ‘Noche d’Or’ and put a bow on what has been a promising 2023 for the team been.

But when the reigning Leagues Cup champions returned to DRV PNK Stadium last week for one final match against Newell’s Old Boys, it was hard not to feel like some of the luster had worn off ahead of the MLS opener of the club on Wednesday. .

Miami’s preseason has been choppy at best and a disaster at worst.

Ignoring the results, which included just one win from seven games, a disaster of bad press ensued as Miami cashed in on a trip that took them to El Salvador, Dallas, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Japan.

The tour only received unwanted attention in the second match against FC Dallas, when Messi and his teammates took the field in front of a mostly empty Cotton Bowl which was only a third full.

From then on, Messi injured his adductor muscles, angered the Hong Kong government and fans when he attended a friendly there, and admitted he was “a bit tired from this whole tour” before Miami faced Vissel Kobe.

The number 10 also played just seven minutes in a 6-0 thrashing of Al-Nassr – who were without Cristiano Ronaldo – while Sergio Busquets was ruled out due to injury against Vissel Kobe.

This is all to say: the happier days of Messi lifting the Leagues Cup this summer seem far away, as does the innocence of his family visit to the Publix supermarket chain shortly after arriving in the United States.

Crucially, Messi is still Messi, and there are even greater expectations for these star-studded Herons following the addition of Luis Suarez. Every team with these names will at least be in contention for the national title.

The first full season of Miami’s ‘Big 4’ kicks off tonight at home against Real Salt Lake, and Suarez won’t be the only new face.

Veteran Julian Gressel joined after winning the league with the Columbus Crew, while Yannick Bright was also added in the first round of the draft.

Meanwhile, defender Kamal Miller has left after recording the team’s fourth most league minutes last season, while Josef Martinez and his seven goals have also departed.

The club will also be without midfielder Facundo Farias after he tore his cruciate ligament in pre-season, while highly rated 18-year-old Benjamin Cremaschi will miss two to three months with a sports hernia, according to the team.

So there will be plenty of pieces that manager Tata Martino can mix and match as he looks to get the most out of a squad whose best players are all aged 34 and over.

The positive news for Martino is that despite the mileage, his two best – and oldest – attackers are still quite good.

Messi, who wasted no time in opening his Miami account with a stunning free-kick against Cruz Azul, scored 11 goals in 14 games in all competitions after arriving in July.

And the 37-year-old Suarez, creaking legs and all, still scored seventeen goals and eleven assists in the Brazilian league for Gremio last season.

Alba also remains a threat shooting up and down the left, while Busquets is certainly one of the best passers in the league, even if his severe lack of speed will sometimes cripple him.

The concern for these four, and Miami in general, isn’t winning a Finals or coming up with the goods in a big game.

It stays healthy and fresh enough to get there.

Miami could flirt with 60 games this season, with the team playing in four different leagues. What will it look like when Messi inevitably rests, as Martino has already planned?

The returns were discouraging in the six MLS games Messi missed after his arrival last season, as Miami won just once, drew three and lost twice. And Suarez, who has dealt with repeated knee problems, hasn’t been the most durable of late either.

The Herons were not left out in any of those six Messi-less matches, perhaps surprisingly, although they failed to score more than one goal in half of the matches.

It was their defense that let them down in 5-2 and 4-1 losses to Atlanta United and the Chicago Fire respectively.

Having a full season of Tomas Aviles, a $9 million signing last summer, and newly signed Pumas loanee Nicolas Freire should help in that area. A full preseason under Martino should also be beneficial.

Miami’s aging core is surrounded by some decent young talent, and the team’s brass deserve credit for reshaping the roster over the past year.

Make no mistake about it though, just like Apple TV is new MLS Season Pass Ad is all about Messi, and so are Miami’s prospects this season.

He plays alongside his best friends, for a coach he respects, and, crucially, with a clean bill of health. according to reports from the eve of the season opener.

Both Miami and MLS need Messi to explode, and the 36-year-old will soon show what kind of spark he still has.