Inter Miami CF

Inter Miami gets win after sloppy performance

Follow all the live action featuring Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake in the opening game of the 2024 MLS season.

Expectations are that Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba will all start for Inter Miami at the newly-renamed Chase Stadium.

Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake kicks off at 8PM ET (5PM PT) live on MLS Season Pass.

We’ll be sharing live reports from the stadium. All seats are sold out in what should be a very eventful night for many different reasons. First, MLS has imposed a lockout of their referees. So that means that former college referee Cristian Campo Hernandez is the head official instead of the usual professional referees the league uses. Second, Major League Soccer is trying to find its way out of playing all of its teams in the 2024 US Open Cup. Let’s see if MLS even mentions the US Open Cup, which Inter Miami was a finalist in last year.

Photos: Imago

FT: Inter Miami 2-0 Real Salt Lake

Three points for Inter Miami in a deserved win over 90 minutes. It wasn't quite the spectacle we thought it would be, but we had two goals, so we can't complain about that.

Thanks for joining us in the live chat.

83rd minute: Inter Miami 2-0 Real Salt Lake

Messi to Suarez to Gomez - GOAL! Really nice interchange of passes that led to the goal.

82nd minute: The long game

No offense to either Inter Miami and/or Real Salt Lake, but this game has felt like it has been dragging. Both teams have been extremely sloppy. Not the ideal advertisement for the opening game of the season. Inter Miami looks tired and prone to mistakes. Real Salt Lake doesn't have the quality in the final third to pose a threat.

72nd minute: RSL almost scores

Real Salt Lake delivers a wonderful header from a corner which is tipped over the bar by Drake Callender. Excellent header and save.

Meanwhile, Diego Luna exits the game for RSL.

70th minute

It's almost as if Inter Miami is willing Real Salt Lake to score an equalizer in order for Miami to find another goal.

Inter has run out of gas. Time for substitutions Tata. 

55th minute: Real Salt Lake knocking on the door

Real Salt Lake creating more and more chances in the box. Yet again, they're unable to capitalize on their chances though. At least, they're showing some glimmers of life.

51st minute

Inter Miami keeps gifting Real Salt Lake golden opportunities to equalize but they can't take advantage of them.

Sloppy passes by Inter Miami. If The Herons play like this against stronger opposition, Inter Miami will be on the losing end of games.

Highlight from the first half

Pre-match interview with MLS Commissioner Don Garber

Softball questions give you softball answers

HT: Inter Miami 1-0 Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake gets its best chance of the game right before the halftime whistle, but their shot sails over the bar.

Robert Taylor's goal

39th minute: Inter Miami 1-0 Real Salt Lake

Robert Taylor scores for Inter Miami, but what a mistake by Zac MacMath who lets the ball roll under his arm and into the corner of the net.

Awful goalkeeping mistake, but full credit for Robert Taylor for at least having the shot on target in order to make the mistake a possibility.

35th minute update

Not the greatest game of soccer, by any means. Real Salt Lake looks dangerous on the counter but then their final ball has been poor.

Inter Miami still looks like they're in pre-season mode. It's early days still, but Leo Campana could be better suited as a striker in this game instead of Luis Suarez.

23rd minute: Best chance of the game

Gomez with the shot for Inter Miami, which is tipped around the post by Zach McMath.

Still 0-0.

21st minute: RSL in a low-block

Real Salt Lake prevent Inter Miami from scoring by blocking a couple of shots. Pablo Mastroeni's team are doing an excellent job of defending so deep, and then breaking on the counter.

17th minute: Messi free kick cleared off the line

Excellent header off the line to prevent Lionel Messi's free kick from finding the back of the net.

11th minute

First good chance of the game for Real Salt Lake as their pass into the box finds the feet of one of Inter Miami's defenders.

The atmosphere in the stadium is pretty quiet so far by Inter Miami standards. Everyone appears to be waiting for some Messi magic.

First chance of the game

We have kickoff, and within a minute Luis Suarez gets a chance in the box but the ball goes out for a goal kick.

Inter Miami on the attack from the start.

MLS Season Pass pet peeve

One criticism about MLS Season Pass is that the MLS Countdown broadcast doesn't automatically flow into the game broadcast of Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake.

You have to exit out of MLS Countdown and then click to find the game.

Is it me or are there a lot more commercials on MLS Season Pass tonight than usual?

Home radio commentators

With MLS Season Pass, you can select between Jake Zivin and Taylor Twellman as commentators or Phil Schoen and Thomas Rongen as the alternate commentators. Here's how.

Protests at MLS HQ

Here's the full report of the protests that happened outside MLS HQ today:

 

Real Salt Lake starting lineup

Tonight's English-language commentators

It's Jake Zivin (left) and Taylor Twellman (right).

 

Stars are out in Fort Lauderdale tonight

So far, we've seen Will Smith, David Beckham and Chad Ochocinco.

Kickoff time

In typical MLS style, it looks like the kickoff time is going to be 8:10 PM ET even though it was advertised everywhere as 8PM ET.

Inter Miami starting XI

MLS pre-game coverage has started

We have liftoff. A new season of MLS Countdown, the pre-game show on MLS Season Pass, has started.

Perfect night for soccer

The fans are beginning to drift into the stadium as the sun goes down. Currently, it's 68F with the temperature expected to drop to 62F in the second half. By South Florida standards, that's cold, so don't be surprised if you see some fans in the stadium wearing jackets and other warmer clothing.

T-Mobile freebie

MLS viewers expecting to get MLS Season Pass this season for free will not be able to do so through T-Mobile, according to a report by Kyle Fansler for World Soccer Talk. That's a huge change for the majority of MLS fans who watched MLS Season Pass for free last year.

If you want MLS Season Pass for free, the only way right now is to be a season ticket holder for a Major League Soccer team.

 

Further reading

It's been a hectic week for news about Inter Miami and the season opener. Here's a couple of the stories you may have missed:

Today's protests outside MLS HQ

What a day it has been for Major League Soccer today ahead of the 2024 season opener.

Here are images and video of the protests outside MLS headquarters in New York City where picketers were protesting against MLS' decision to lockout the professional referees:

Last-minute rule changes by MLS

Just a few hours before kickoff, Major League Soccer has decided it has to postpone the implementation of the following rules and procedures:

• Timed Substitutions
• Rule Off-Field Treatment Rule
• In-Stadium VAR Announcements

All three new rule changes were supposed to begin today, but due to the replacement referees being brought in who have not been trained in the new rules, MLS has decided to delay the implementation of the new rules.

This will make it easier for former college referee Cristian Campo Hernandez and the officiating team tonight. But the referees are still going to have their work cut out for them. They're not used to officiating games at this high level. The head official tonight was used to refereeing in the D2 USL Championship last season.

Keep an eye on the referees tonight. Let's hope it's a quiet night for them.

TV details for tonight

The only way to legally watch Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake live is on MLS Season Pass, which is available worldwide.

On the English-language broadcast, the commentators are Jake Zivin (lead) and Taylor Twellman (co-commentator). For Spanish-language audiences, it's Sammy Sadovnik and Diego Valeri.

Pre-match coverage on MLS Season Pass begins at 6:30 PM ET (3:30 PM PT) with a special 90-minute edition of MLS Countdown/MLS La Previa.

Any questions? Let us know in the comments section below.

Chase Stadium is ready for action

DRV PNK Stadium has been re-named Chase Stadium as part of a new stadium-naming rights deal between JP Morgan Chase and Inter Miami. Tonight's game marks the first one at the newly-crowned stadium. The weather is perfect for soccer. It's 72F degrees, and no rain is on the radar.

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