Despite crashing out of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs against Atlanta United, Miami were by far the best team through the regular season. With 22 wins in 34 matches, they hit 74 points to set a new single-season MLS points record, all while missing Lionel Messi for over a third of the season.

The Inter Miami team plane landed at 4 a.m. Thursday after a brutal 1-0 road victory against Sporting KC in sub-zero temperatures in Kansas City. Coach Javier Mascherano gave players the day off, saying they deserved it after playing in conditions he described as “inhumane”, so they had only Friday to prepare for Saturday’s big home game.

Though Inter Miami enters as the favorite, NYCFC remains a giant question mark. The team underwent wholesale changes during the offseason, led by the hiring of head coach Pascal Jansen, who now has the task of rebuilding a roster in transition.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami’s MLS season opener for the 2025 regular season will proceed Saturday with a later kickoff time. Here's the latest.

Inter Miami is embarking on a new era under the leadership of Javier Mascherano, who is determined to achieve more than the team did last season in MLS. The Florida team won the Su