Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake preview: Will Messi score?

The eyes of the football — or soccer, to those of us in America — world will be on Miami this evening as Lionel Messi takes center stage. The reigning Ballon d'Or winner will begin his first full campaign in the United States as Inter Miami kicks off its Major League Soccer season against Real Salt Lake.

There is an unprecedented anticipation in the air ahead of the 2024 MLS season, and most of that has to do with Messi. He's taken the Herons from the league's bottom dwellers and turned the team into a title favorite solely with his presence and ability to recruit familiar faces.

Former Barcelona stars Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez have joined U.S. international DeAndre Yedlin at Inter Miami. The Herons enter the season as sizable title favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook. Inter Miami (+250) leads oddsboards with Los Angeles FC (+700) and Columbus (+800) the only other clubs that have 10/1 odds or shorter to lift the MLS Cup.

Audiences will get their first look at Gerardo 'Tata' Martino's overhauled squad against Real Salt Lake on at 7 p.m. on Apple TV. The Herons are heavily juiced (-210) to beat the Claret and Cobalt (+470). The former has had a far more extensive preseason, playing seven games from Jan. 19 to Feb. 15. Meanwhile, the latter played just four games over the span of 11 days. It's worth noting these are "official" matches, not including behind closed-door friendlies.

While there may not be much value in picking Inter Miami straight up, bettors are licking their lips at this matchup as one of their beloved plays returns. Messi anytime goalscorer (-135 anytime goalscorer) became a fan favorite last season as he found the back of the net in eight of the 14 games he appeared in.

Overall, the 36-year-old scored 11 goals and racked up five assists in just 1,086 minutes across all competitions last season. He'll look to improve on those numbers with the club's new star striker, Suarez (-110 anytime goalscorer), taking some of the attention away in attack.

It'll take some truly special efforts to keep the Herons from scoring, and in the end, I don't think Real Salt Lake is on that level defensively after a relatively brief preseason. The Claret and Cobalt have been consistently good over the last three seasons, but the back line still poses issues from time to time. They'll also have to replace last season's leading scorer, Jefferson Savarino.

It takes time to build consistency and familiarity across the pitch. Inter Miami is the more talented side at the end of the day, so I'll lean with experience at home to kick off the campaign.

Prediction: Inter Miami 3-1 Real Salt Lake