New Delhi: Away from all the action in Europe, Major League Soccer start their season on Sunday with 30 teams competing for the first time as the competition enters its 30th season of existence. While Lionel Messi still majority of the limelight, there is a lot of excitement in the tournament with the new team San Diegos’s participation.
Messi’s Inter Miami began their pre-season touring on a positive note and Messi himself has been in decent touch with the side scoring the only goal in the Concacaf Champions Cup against Sporting Kansas City in freezing conditions. This is though the tip of the ice of what is about to come in the season.
We are so back. 🎉
Watch opening weekend with #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV: https://t.co/Pau6rQAX5s pic.twitter.com/NtayXlq301
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) February 20, 2025
Javier Mascherano’s big test at Inter Miami
For Javier Mascherano, it is a reunion with his Barcelona teammates Messi, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba who shared the dressing room in the La Liga club between 2014 and 2018. Messi is playing the second full season for the Herons, having joined the club midway through the 2023 season. He is currently the club’s highest goal scorer, starting to play matches in 2020.
Last season, Suarez scored 25 goals across competitions and made 12 assists throughout the season in 37 games. Injury kept Lionel Messi out of action for a huge part of the season and he managed to score only 23 times from his 25 appearances. Mascherano having managed Argentina’s Olympics team took over from Gerardo Martino in the off-season, who had previously managed Barca in 2013-14.
This is an important season with the club controversial included in the FIFA Club World Cup after topping the MLS league at the end of the regular season. Mascherano has to manage amidst Concacaf Champions, and Leagues Cup while trying to help the side lift their first MLS cup.
The young gun thought to be joining Manchester City
Philadelphia Union forward Cavan Sullivan is only 15 and has already played thrice in the MLS and could be joining Manchester City. At 14 last season, he made his debut and has the largest deal ever in MLS for a homegrown player. Sullivan told ESPN that “collaboration” between City and Union had worked wonders for him.
There have been no official announcements for a move to City, but Sullivan remains excited about a move to the Premier League side noting that it was every kid’s dream. The USA U-17 international could be joining City’s sister clubs halfway through 2025-26, with Sullivan eligible for a European Union team by 16. He will be joining a season full of young stars like Julian Hall of New York Red Bulls, John Pulskamp from Sporting Kansas City and Nathan Saliba of CF Montreal.
New team in the competition
San Diego FC will take the total number of teams in MLS to 30 for the first time, having only fielded 30 teams until last season. The club was founded by Mohamed Mansour and will be coached by Mikey Varas. Northern Ireland player Paddy McNair joined the club last summer and was loaned to West Bromwich as San Deigo didn’t have any games then.
English winger, Alex Mighten who was on loan from Nottingham Forest to Port Vale last season also joined the team in the summer. The star of the lineup would be former PSV and Napoli player Hirving Lozano coming from the Italian club in 2024.
Wilfried Zaha comes to Charlotte FC
Former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is set to lead Charlotte FC in their second season and is bringing in former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha who is on loan from Galatasaray for the season. Former Burnley midfielder Ashley Westwood and Nathan Byrne, who was a wing-back with Wigan are also in the squad.
Smith has tasted some success as a manager with Villa, but he hasn’t lifted any silverware yet. This season, he would be keen on leading the team to a title after the team finished fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta United brings English experience and talent
Atlanta United’s backroom staff and their playing squad as well with the former Celtic boss being signed as the manager with the club in December, Kenny Miller, a striker for Scotland will come as the assistant manager and Elliot Parish, who played for both English and Scottish club is the goalkeeping coach, with Wales international Carl Robinson still in the staff list.
Former Aston Villa shot-stopper Brad Guzan is the captain of the side, with Newcastle United winger Miguel Almiron coming to the side for £9m and Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath is coming in for a record MLS fee of £22.5m.
MLS season is back with 30 teams participating for the first time in the competition’s history, as Lionel Messi, set to play his second full season with Inter Miami looks to lift the title for the first time. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
