How to watch Messi in Inter Miami's first 2 friendlies of 2024

Inter Miami is preparing for its first full season in MLS with Lionel Messi by playing out a global tour of friendlies in the preseason. That starts with games against the El Salvador national team and FC Dallas. Now, fans will know where to watch those games when they air in late January. In total, Inter Miami is playing seven games in five countries in the buildup to the 2024 MLS season.

The first two of those friendlies travel to San Salvador and Dallas, TX. While traditional MLS friendlies may be somewhat hard to locate, Major League Soccer is jumping on the opportunity to show as much Lionel Messi as possible. Moreover, it allows Major League Soccer to promote MLS Season Pass. The streaming service will use Messi as a major selling point to drive subscriptions in the second year of its 10-year deal with Apple.

On Friday, Jan. 19, Inter Miami will play in the Estadio Cuscatlán, the home of the El Salvador National Team. Coverage of the game is available on MLSsoccer.com. That will have a live stream for the English-language audiences. For those who want to watch the Spanish-language broadcast, coverage is on MLSes.com. That is the Spanish website MLS uses for all of its coverage. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET.

Three days later, Inter Miami returns to the United States to play FC Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. This is the only friendly Inter Miami is playing against MLS opposition. Therefore, it will show what Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba could look like in the coming season. Again, coverage is available on MLSsoccer.com for English-language audiences and MLSes.com for the Spanish-language audience.

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Inter Miami preseason for MLS brings a hectic schedule

After the El Salvador and Dallas games, Inter Miami travels across the Pacific Ocean to play against big-name opposition. The preseason tour continues with games against Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal. That means Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will play Cristiano Ronaldo’s club in the Saudi Pro League. In all likelihood, that will be the last time Messi plays Ronaldo in one of their vaunted player rivalries. The matchup with Al-Hilal would have set up a game between Neymar and Messi. The Brazilian’s injury omits him from the Saudi side’s squad. Yet, that leaves the chance for playing Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Kalidou Koulibaly.

There is no streaming or TV information for those games yet. Still, given the magnitude of the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, there will be more information on that front coming.

Following the games in Saudi Arabia, Inter Miami will play an All-Star team in Hong Kong. Then, the club scheduled a game against Vissel Kobe, the team of Andres Iniesta. The club rounds out its preseason tour in the United States when it plays Newell’s Old Boys in Fort Lauderdale.

Potential watershed season for Miami, MLS

The preseason games precede what shapes up to be a monumental season for both Inter Miami and Major League Soccer. With Messi expected to play the majority of games across MLS, the Leagues Cup, the US Open Cup, and the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the success of the side will be on display for these preseason games.

That adds intrigue to the first two. El Salvador should provide an interesting test with most of the side’s players either playing in the country’s domestic league or in the United States. Then, FC Dallas is an opponent that Messi and company will play in the season.

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