Lionel Messi, Inter Miami vs. Orlando City SC: Watch Major League Soccer game for free
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami play host to in-state rival Orlando City SC on Saturday in MLS action. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m., with FOX televising the game.
Several streaming services are offering the game for free including FuboTV (free trial) and DirecTV Stream (free trial). Also, Sling TV offers promotional deals for new subscribers.
Inter Miami is coming off a 1-1 road draw at LA Galaxy on Sunday, with Messi having his team’s lone goal of the match.
Orlando City SC opened its 2024 MLS season with a 0-0 draw at home vs. CF Montreal. Their last match came in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, when they defeated Canadian club Cavalry FC, 3-1, on Wednesday.
Here are more details on the match and how you can watch:
- Who: Inter Miami (1-1-0, 4 points) vs. Orlando City SC (0-1-0, 1 point)
- When: Saturday, March 2, 2024
- Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern
- Where: Chase Stadium | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
- TV: FOX
- Best streaming options: FuboTV (free trial) and DirecTV Stream (free trial). Also, Sling TV (promotional offers).
Here is more background on Inter Miami’s draw at LA Galaxy from the Associated Press.
Anyone who thought Lionel Messi and Inter Miami would steamroll over the rest of Major League Soccer this year has already been proven wrong by the upstart LA Galaxy.
Messi was still brilliant enough to keep Miami unbeaten after an early-season test from another marquee MLS club.
Messi scored in the second minute of second-half injury time off a pass from Jordi Alba, and Miami salvaged a 1-1 draw with the Galaxy on Sunday night.
Dejan Joveljic scored in the 75th minute for the Galaxy, who were close to delivering a surprising early-season blow to Messi and his new MLS powerhouse — but with LA down to 10 men, the Argentine superstar worked another bit of magic.
After executing a give-and-go pass sequence with Alba, his longtime Barcelona teammate, Messi slid forward and chipped a shot into the roof of the net above Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy.
The goal delivered another thrill to the raucous crowd cheering on both teams at Miami’s first road game of the season. Thousands of fans wore Messi shirts among the 27,642 in attendance — a record for a Galaxy regular-season match at their suburban stadium.
“It was their home opener, and the atmosphere was pretty electric,” said Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender, whose eight saves included a stop on an early penalty shot from Riqui Puig. “It’s still early in the season, so there’s things we need to work on, but earning a point on the road is good. We don’t want to get comfortable at all. We have a long season ahead.”
Inter Miami is a major betting favorite to dominate MLS this season after uniting Messi and Luis Suárez alongside fellow ex-Barca stars Sergio Busquets and Alba — but everybody on Messi’s side knows it won’t be easy.
Miami won its season opener at home last Wednesday, but was frequently outplayed by the rebuilding Galaxy four days later in Messi’s first appearance against the club that once employed Inter co-owner David Beckham.
The Galaxy are famous for the type of high-profile veteran signings amassed by Miami in the past year, but the LA club is rebuilding without big names this time. The young Galaxy still applied more consistent offensive pressure than the league’s new showcase team, racking up 23 shots to Miami’s 11 while repeatedly generating chances in the box.
