Inter Miami beat RSL, Chase Stadium rename, Lionel Messi is back

Every week this MLS season we’ll be bringing you Miami Missive, your one-stop shop for everything Inter Miami.

The 29th season of MLS action got underway on Wednesday evening with the opening game of 2024. An off-season of great change built huge excitement for the return of the United States’ top professional league and all eyes were fixed on South Florida for opening night.

Inter Miami began their 2024 journey with a home game against Real Salt Lake, the only fixture taking place ahead of a full-slate of MLS action this weekend. After a controversial preseason tour the Herons were back on home turf to begin the competitive fixtures. Miami ran out 2-0 winners over RSL to kick-start the new season and draw a line under a period of great change for the club.

Here’s your Miami Missive for Friday, February 23...

Inter Miami bag opening day win

For all the talk of roster-building rules and commercial gains, what will matter most to Inter Miami supporters this year is their on-field results. On that front things have got off to a good start for Miami, who held out to pick up a 2-0 victory over a strong Real Salt Lake side.

After playing with a back three for much of preseason, the Herons switched to a 4-3-3 for their 2024 opener and the team looked more comfortable in the new shape. Robert Taylor started on the left of a front three, in large part to bring the direct running that Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez can no longer provide. In midfield there were other compensatory selections with Diego Gomez and Julian Gressel offering a counter-balance to the largely stationary Sergio Busquets.

The Messi-Taylor combination that flourished in last year’s Leagues Cup run was on show again on Wednesday and broke the deadlock for the hosts. Messi, given the chance to swivel on the ball in midfield, broke towards the RSL goal and slipped a pass through to the on-rushing Taylor. The Finn’s right-footed shot was fairly weak but it squirmed under Zac MacMath and into the back of the net.

Miami were put under greater pressure in the second half but RSL couldn’t find the breakthrough, thanks in part to the alertness of Drake Callender in the hosts’ goal. Pablo Mastreoni’s side were the better team after the break but it was Miami who found the game’s crucial second goal. Again it was Messi who broke from midfield, playing the ball off to Suarez who quickly shifted it to Gomez.

Diego Gomez had impressed throughout and he made no mistake with this opportunity, rifling the ball low and hard past MacMath. The Herons had a two-goal lead and three points to begin their MLS Cup pursuit.

Lionel Messi is back for Inter Miami

The Inter Miami captain endured a tricky preseason. He looked short of match fitness and was forced to miss game-time due to injury concerns. He even sparked a diplomatic incident with the Hong Kong government, but the World Cup winner was once again the best player on the pitch on Wednesday evening.

Messi was more dynamic than he had been in preseason, as if he’d been gently shifting his body through the gears amid a busy schedule. As soon as the competitive season got underway Messi stepped on the gas and looked sharp from the first whistle against RSL.

He dropped deep to link the play and dribble the ball from deep. He meandered across the RSL backline, dragging defenders away from their proper positions. He found space in the gaps vacated by Suarez and the ex-Barcelona duo finally began to show some signs of their old connection.

Messi provided the first assist but did not score. He did, however, add a new trick to his repertoire. With Inter Miami on the attack Messi pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box. He skipped past Brayan Vera and along the box, where he was presented with an RSL defender laying injured on the ground. The Argentine simply chipped the ball over the prone body and picked it up on the other side.

His eventual shot was charged down and blocked by desperate RSL defenders, but that moment of Messi magnificence will strike fear into the hearts of all MLS defenders.

Midfielder Gregore leaves for Brazil

Over the winter months Inter Miami bolstered the squad with the likes of Suarez, Nicolas Freire and Julian Gressel, all players who will be expected to make major contributions this year. But in the days before their 2024 opener reports emerged suggesting that Inter Miami were struggling to satisfy MLS’ tough roster regulations.

The Herons needed to move on some players ahead of the roster compliance deadline on Friday, 23 February. The biggest exit has been Inter Miami’s 2021 MVP, Brazilian midfielder Gregore.

The 29-year-old signed a two-year contract extension with Miami last October but has been snapped up by Botafogo. The loss of an experienced, combative central midfielder could prove to be a serious one for the Herons but they were left with little alternative when the offer came in.

Chase Stadium rename for Herons

Finally, there’s a new name on the door in Fort Lauderdale. Inter Miami’s (temporary) home has officially been renamed ‘Chase Stadium’, ending the glorious ‘DRV PNK’ era. The club has struck a deal with JP Morgan Chase to give the banking firm the naming rights for the stadium.

“It has always been a dream to take an amazing global brand like JP Morgan Chase, partner with them, and all over the world when they mention Inter Miami and Lionel Messi, that it be at Chase Stadium,” co-owner Jorge Mas explained.

More than a dream, these lucrative commercial dealings are a financial requirement for a Miami team still dangerously close to the league’s budgetary rules.

And so it was at the newly renamed Chase Stadium that Inter Miami got their 2024 journey off to a winning start. Miami travel to LA Galaxy this weekend for their first away fixture of the new season and return home to take on Florida rivals Orlando City on Saturday, March 2. Inter Miami are up and running, but the journey’s only just begun.

You can follow Inter Miami's MLS campaign with the MLS Season Pass on AppleTV.