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The new season kicks off this week. Our panel of writers deliver their verdicts on the MVP, champions, ‘Season Pass’ team and the young players to watchA full season of Lionel Messi in MLS. The GOAT made an immediate impact for Inter Miami last year, but his best moments came in the Leagues Cup and US Open Cup. There’s no guarantee of success for Inter Miami (see their chaotic pre-season). Messi, however, will surely produce some magic - assuming he can stay fit. Graham Ruthven Continue reading...

• MLS season will kickoff with replacement officials- Union says replacement refs could jeopardize health and safety The MLS Players Association on Tuesday urged a quick resolution to the lockout of the league’s referees and cautioned that the use of replacement game officials during the labor dispute could jeopardize the health of players.Barring a sudden agreement, the 2024 MLS season opener on Wednesday featuring Argentina great Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami against Real Sal Lake will be officiated by replacement referees. Continue reading...

With Messi in Miami and the World Cup coming to US soil, the eyes of the world are on Major League Soccer like never before. It’s only raised the stakes of a nasty labor dispute between MLS and its refereesMajor League Soccer referees have been locked out ahead of the beginning of the 2024 season set to begin on Wednesday evening with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami set to play Real Salt Lake.The Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA), the labor union representing referees who work MLS matches, condemned the lockout by the MLS and the league’s referee employment organization. The lockout, a denial of employment by an employer during a labor dispute, was imposed on the referees after they overwhelmingly voted to reject a tentative new union contract agreement in a 95.8% vote, with 97.8% of the 260 union members voting. Continue reading...

Major League Soccer referees protested outside the league's headquarters after being locked out ahead of the beginning of the 2024 season. The lockout, a denial of employment by an employer during a labor dispute, was imposed on the referees after they overwhelmingly voted to reject a tentative new union contract agreement in a 95.8% vote, with 97.8% of the 260 union members voting. The union has also alleged unfair labor practices against the MLS and the Professional Referee Organization. The union cited members rejected the deal in part due to an attempt by the MLS and PRO to add a no strike and no lockout deal for the 2024 season and would have frozen wages, rolled back job security protections, and not addressed issues such as high workloads and travel for referees.- What the MLS referee lockout means for North America’s top soccer league Continue reading...

• Robert Taylor and Diego Gómez score in Miami’s 2-0 win- Messi notches assist to open first full season with club- Analysis: What the referee lockout means for MLS Lionel Messi had two Real Salt Lake defenders on either side of him, two more a few yards in front of him. He quickly tapped the ball away from them all with his left foot, to a spot where only teammate Robert Taylor could reach.Moments later, Inter Miami had the first goal of the Major League Soccer season. Continue reading...

The league decided to publicize most, but not all, of the trophies its teams won in 2023

Fans will be waiting a bit longer for in-stadium VAR announcements and other new wrinkles

This was a catastrophe in every sense of the word

We've got plenty of questions as the 29th season of MLS gets underway

MLS officially kicks off Wednesday, with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami hosting Real Salt Lake

Messi couldn't get on the scoresheet, but he still offered a memorable moment of creativity

Inter Miami kicks off the MLS season with a home match against RSL