With just a few days to go until the start of the 2024 MLS season, there is an aura of excitement and freshness in the air.
Teams are finishing their slow and gradual pre-season, after a long winter break, and are ready to get going in a competitive environment.
That is, except for one team, that seems to be already in their mid-season routine - well, not regarding their poor on-pitch performances, but more down to their intense schedule and the amount of mileage covered over the past month.
Inter Miami, arguably one of the most interesting sides in MLS history, have not even kicked the opening ball of their league season and are already in a need of a break.
A hectic pre-season for the most interesting team in North America, days ahead of the MLS season opening. Inter Miami before their friendly with Newell’s Old Boys (Photo courtesy: Inter Miami)
Lionel Messi has even admitted he is already “exhausted”. And that is before an already overloaded season, including CONCACAF Champions Cup and Leagues Cup campaign, on top of a long MLS season in which the team expects to go all the way.
And on top of that, the club is in the midst of a public relations crisis, following events that happened on their pre-season tour.
So, how did they end up in this situation?
After signing Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets in 2023, and with the most recent addition of Luis Suarez, it was inevitable that Inter Miami will not just be focusing on winning trophies, but also building their brand worldwide and ‘cash in’ on their star-studded squad with pre-season tours around the globe.
With Messi, the options are limitless. However, it is unclear how long the gang will stay together in Miami, so the management team decided to take on as many of those marketing options as possible, in a short span of time.
First, the team travelled to El Salvador on 20 January, to play their national team.
From there to Dallas, for another friendly game, before heading at the end of January to Saudi Arabia to play two friendlies, including against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.
That game was marketed as another big showdown between the two stars, but Messi ended up only playing for a few minutes.
After the Saudi tour, Inter Miami continued east to Japan and Hong Kong for two more games, before finishing off back home against Newells Old Boys, the team most associated with Messi and coach Tata Martino.
With a busy schedule, and a range of ever-aging bodies, not all players participated in all games, but no subtraction caused more chaos and damage than Messi’s no show in Hong Kong.
On 4 February, Miami visited Hong Kong and beat a local XI 4-1.
But the 40,000 fans didn’t come to see Lawson Sunderland or Robert Taylor, they came to see Messi. The lead-up to the game was even filled with a heavy advertising campaign, accompanied by high-priced tickets.
But Messi was omitted from the squad in a last-minute decision due to an adductor injury, with fans and local media finding this out only during the game.
The fans demanded a refund, and David Beckham, a popular figure in the area, was jeered by the crowd.
Even the Hong Kong government got involved, claiming a contract between the team and the government stated Messi should play at least 45 minutes.
Messi then went on to play against Vissel Kobe in Japan a few days later, enraging the Hong Kong fans and government even more. It was seen as a sign of disrespect towards the country.
Due to this incident, two Argentina friendlies scheduled to take place in China later this year were canceled. In terms of Messi’s image in China, this was a spectacular own goal.
The game in Japan didn’t go smoothly either.
Sergio Busquets injured his ankle after 25 mins, and went on to miss a few weeks of action. Off the pitch, fans across the world complained that the game was not streamed on Apple TV’s Season Pass, the league’s official streaming platform which had broadcasted earlier friendlies from the world tour.
To make matters worse, Inter Miami has been playing poorly - notably losing 6-0 to Al Nassr and 4-3 to Al Hilal - and it is currently unclear if their finances will comply with MLS regulations by the start of the season.
With all the signings made over the past year, it’s possible Inter Miami might need to offload a few players by the weekend in order to avoid potential penalties from the league.
With an ageing squad and limited resources, it is important to ask whether such a long and grueling world tour was even worth it.
The schedule of footballers in the modern day game is demanding as it is, especially in the MLS, with huge distances to travel, and an overflow of competitions.
Pre-season tours naturally should not be so memorable. Even though they are scheduled due to financial incentives and opportunities, it is still nearly impossible to please everyone in such a tight window. David Beckham, Jorge Mas and the MLS might have gotten most of what they wanted, but hopefully for Inter Miami no long-term damage has been done.
The team’s real season starts against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday - and it is going to be a long, exciting and challenging one.
