Major League Soccer Kicks Off 30th Season as Messi Mania Continues to Dominate
Major League Soccer’s 30th season kicks off this weekend, with fans eager to see its biggest star, Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, take the field once again. The season also welcomes San Diego FC, the league’s 30th club, as expansion continues to fuel MLS growth.
Messi and Miami Seek Redemption After Playoff Disappointment
Messi led Inter Miami to the top of the regular season standings last year, only for the team to suffer a shocking playoff defeat to Atlanta United. That bitter ending is driving Miami’s push for success this year, according to forward Luis Suárez.
“After finishing 2024 the way we did, I think we’re even more eager to turn that bad image around, that bad experience we had getting knocked out by Atlanta,” Suárez said. “We have to learn from what we went through so that this year we don’t make the same mistakes and can reach the final or win a trophy and bring joy to our fans.”
Miami enters the season with its core of ex-Barcelona stars intact—Messi, Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba—this time under new head coach Javier Mascherano.
Messi Mania Still Driving MLS Demand
The global obsession with Messi remains as strong as ever. According to ticket resale platform StubHub, the top 10 most in-demand games of the 2025 MLS season all feature Inter Miami.
The excitement surrounding Messi extends beyond the league. Miami will represent MLS at the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins on June 14, with a highly anticipated opening match against Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly. League officials and stakeholders hope the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner can lead Miami deep into the tournament, further elevating MLS on the global stage.
San Diego FC Faces Tough MLS Debut Against Champions
Newcomer San Diego FC will make its MLS debut against defending champions LA Galaxy on Sunday night. The expansion club enters the league at a pivotal moment, as MLS looks to capitalize on growing soccer enthusiasm in North America.
The 2025 season offers a crucial opportunity for soccer to build momentum in the United States, especially with the country set to host this year’s Club World Cup and co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.
Can MLS Finally Break Into the Big Four?
MLS has come a long way from its early days as a scrappy upstart with minimal international attention. The league has attracted major global stars, most notably Messi, who joined the David Beckham-backed Inter Miami in 2023.
Still, MLS faces an uphill battle in competing with North America’s “big four” men’s leagues—the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. While the league’s total attendance reached 12.1 million in 2024, second only to the Premier League among professional soccer leagues, its overall recognition in the lucrative American sports market remains a challenge.
“It’s slowly built up the quality, the level of play. But I still think that the typical soccer fan looks at MLS and they think ‘triple-A baseball’,” said Andrew Zimbalist, professor emeritus of economics at Smith College and a sports business expert.
Zimbalist believes MLS is approaching NHL levels of competitiveness in the U.S. and has massive potential for further growth. “Given its popularity and pervasiveness internationally, and the opportunity always for U.S. teams to compete against teams from Europe and elsewhere, I suspect that popularity will continue to grow,” he said.
With Messi still leading the charge and new clubs like San Diego FC expanding the league’s reach, the 30th MLS season may prove to be one of its most pivotal yet.
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