Major League Soccer released its 2024 regular season schedule last week, and if you’ve read previous suggestions for the future of MLS Season Pass in this space, there were things to like.
For the most part, cold-weather markets have been permitted to host day games during cold-weather months, unlike in 2023 when they were generally restricted to Apple TV’s desired 7:30 p.m. local kickoff time. And there are a few more standalone games on the schedule — i.e. games that don’t conflict with any other league matches — especially early in the season when the league isn’t competing with American Football for American viewers.
But one of the most curious aspects is the 2024 itinerary for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, who are the most obvious attraction so long as Messi is in the league.
During the Herons’ first four league games, they will be the only thing going in MLS, allowing viewers who might have other club allegiances to tune in without missing their own team’s action.
That includes league’s opener on Feb. 21 against Real Salt Lake — coming on a Wednesday night — as well as an intriguing Sunday clash at the LA Galaxy that coming Sunday.
Then in the remaining 30 games, the Herons will play only one stanalone match, and that probably is mostly due to scheduling constraints at the venue — New York City FC’s Yankee Stadium.
Inter Miami Standalone Games
- Feb. 21: vs. Real Salt Lake | 7:30 p.m. ET | MLS Season Pass
- Feb. 25: at LA Galaxy | 8:30 p.m. ET | MLS Season Pass
- March 2: vs. Orlando City | 4:30 p.m. ET | FOX, MLS Season pass
- March 10: vs. CF Montreal | 6 p.m. ET | MLS Season Pass
- Sept. 21: at New York City FC | 2 p.m. ET | MLS season Pass
The strategy appears to be to give as much exposure as possible to the new Messi-Luis Suarez combination early in the season — perhaps even with some games that are not behind the Season Pass paywall — and hope that hooks viewers for paying for the full season-long subscription to MLS Season Pass. To some extent that rationale is understandable.
Even the most ardent MLS fans would admit the regular season loses momentum not long after it begins. (Whether that problem could be solved is a different question.)
Regular Season or Sideshow?
The Concacaf Champions League draws attention away, particularly if multiple MLS teams make a deep run. There’s almost always a summer international tournament; this year it’s the 2024 Copa America to be held on American soil, in which Messi is expected to compete for Argentina.
The Leagues Cup from late July to late August then offers all teams — including Messi’s — more opportunity for attention with a rolling, World Cup-style schedule that features no more than a handful of clashes daily. It’s only when the league campaign resumes afterward that the playoff race comes into focus and nearly every game seems meaningful. the league campaign doesn’t really regain steam until September when the playoff stakes truly come into focus.
Even so, by obscuring most of Messi’s regular season by planting it squarely within those crowded Saturday and occasional Wednesday nights, the league may (again) be putting immediate gains over any long-term vision. Because if you want Messi’s impact to be far longer than the duration of his 2.5-year contract, it doesn’t feel wise to make the league’s most ardent fans — the ones who buy season tickets and multiple pieces of merchandise, and the ones who try to convince their friends to come give MLS a try — make this choice every weekend:
“Do I want to watch Messi, or my own team?”
That’s a question regular MLS goers will be making regularly in 2024 so long as Messi stays healthy. And while you could argue the Leagues Cup and Concacaf Champions League will present enough other chances for those fans to watch Messi, there are several reasons that limiting his regular season exposure may not be the wisest strategy.
For starters, most of those fans are unlikely to see him in person in 2024.
Messi Is (Not) Coming
With the league’s unbalanced schedule, and its insistence on playing through international competitions, even if Messi is healthy the whole season he might only play in 12 MLS away games. That’s barely more than 40% of the league’s away fans who will have the chance this season. The proportion of away markets could be slightly higher in 2025, but even then it will only include a sliver of Western Conference markets.
Further, season ticket holders will have to fight the temptation to sell tickets on the secondary market for a price that could pay for the entirety of their season ticket package. Those same season ticket holders received MLS Season Pass in 2023 for free, but with their club’s home game blacked out as a condition. In other words, if they sell their tickets, Messi’s visit will be the only game they lack access to in person or on TV/streaming.
Put another way, the league’s die-hard fans may be those least exposed to Messi’s impact on the league. It’s not a way to make those most invested in the product feel rewarded or like their loyalty in leaner times has been worth it.
Then there’s the reality of Messi’s persona. While the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and 2022 World Cup champion has a broader reach than past all-time greats like Maradonna or Pele — thanks to the digital age and reach of social media — Messi is decidedly more introverted than those predecessors. And unlike Pele, who embraced many ambassador-like off-field duties during his time in North America, the overwhelming majority of the inroads Messi makes in reaching casual fans will come through his play, and nothing more.
If you’re trying to get those folks invested in their local MLS team, they’re even less likely to choose the home team in person over Messi on TV. And if they don’t make a connection to MLS outside of Messi, they’re less likely to want to remain MLS Season Pass subscribers once he’s departed.
If there’s any good news in this, it’s that the league and Apple certainly have wiggle room to put more focus on Messi or any other star later on in the season, should they decide.
Of the league’s 37 matchdays, roughly two-thirds feature zero or one game scheduled outside the de facto 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time window on Saturdays and occasional Wednesdays that make up the bulk of the schedule. Theoretically, that could allow for some flex scheduling like we see in other leagues around the world.
So far though, there aren’t any signs this will happen, or that Apple and the league even want to put much focus on the regular season. Instead, they continue to back initiatives like the Leagues Cup and an expanded MLS Cup Playoff format in the apparent belief those will ultimately create more value for the league.
Maybe that’s the right calculation. It still feels like a waste of what Messi has to offer.