Major League Soccer will lock out referees after its union rejected a tentative contract, putting Lionel Messiâs Inter Miami on track to open the season next week with replacement officials. The Professional Soccer Referees Association said Saturday that 95.8% voted against a tentative agreement with the Professional Referee Organization, which supplies match officials to MLS, … Read more
TOKYO — Look for Lionel Messi to play in Wednesday’s friendly in Tokyo with Inter Miami facing Japanese club Vissel Kobe. And don’t look for another public-relations disaster as happened on Sunday when Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain sat on the bench for the entire match against a selection of players from the Hong Kong league, … Read more
HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s sports minister on Monday reiterated the government’s call for an explanation from the organizer of a soccer match between Inter Miami and a local team following widespread disappointment over Lionel Messi remaining on the bench throughout the entire game. The much-hyped exhibition match on Sunday ended with fans booing Inter … Read more
HONG KONG — Lionel Messi stayed on the bench for the full 90 minutes on Sunday as Inter Miami defeated a Hong Kong XI 4-1 in the latest stop on the MLS team’s preseason Asian tour. While the Argentine’s non-appearance was a disappointment for the fans who snapped up all 40,000 tickets at Hong Kong … Read more
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Apple TV and Major League Soccer are expanding their collaboration, announcing Thursday that the looming MLS season will be chronicled in a new all-access docuseries similar to the ones that have given fans a deep, different look at golf, auto racing and tennis in recent months. The eight-part series is already … Read more
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The long-awaited reunion of Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi is now a reality, after the Uruguayan striker signed with Inter Miami on Friday for the 2024 season. Suárez and Messi spent six seasons together at Barcelona, winning four Spanish league titles and nine other trophies — including a Champions League title … Read more
Shohei Ohtani, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Patrick Mahomes and Mike Trout. Five of the world’s top athletes, each with a long list of epic accomplishments. Well paid, too. Ohtani cashed in on his success on Saturday, agreeing to a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is almost assuredly the biggest deal … Read more