Major League Soccer is right around the corner, and teams all over the United States Of America are gearing up for the long stretch run. The regular season will kick off next Wednesday, as Inter Messi.. sorry Inter Miami will take the field against Real Salt Lake. You will be able to watch the game on the MLS season pass because, for some reason the league doesn’t feel the need to put their biggest superstar ever on TV on perhaps the biggest night in the league’s history.

Most games will be played on Saturdays and some on Wednesdays, with a local start time of 7:30 PM. There will be plenty of games available on multiple TV networks but you can catch most of them on Apple TV and MLS Season Pass. Many questions need to be answered this season but these are some of the most important ones.

#1: How Will Columbus Look In Title Defense

Last year the Columbus Crew won another MLS Championship after an impressive run through the playoffs. Now they will have a target on their back throughout the regular season and it will be interesting to see how they respond. With stars like Cucho, Darlington Nagbe, and Rossi you will see plenty of familiar faces on this 2024 Columbus Crew roster. However, the exit of USMNT midfielder Julian Gressel could impact their play throughout the season as well.

They will also be without prolific attacker Lucas Zelarayan after his exit last season to Saudi Arabia. New additions like Hinestroza will factor heavily into the outcome of this Columbus Crew season as well. With a relatively minimal amount of roster turnover, Columbus has a solid foundation built up heading into the season. Columbus will open their title defense against Atlanta at home on the 24th of February.

It will be interesting to see how they manage the workload while also playing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, as the increased schedule could further impact their performance in domestic league play. The Crew will be in CCC action on March 6th for the first of two legs in the round of 16 against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

#2: Who Can Stop Messi and Miami

Inter Miami is loaded with some of the best talent in the world and if they can stay healthy they will be a massive team this season. With guys like Messi, Sergio, Suarez, and Alba they are easily the most stacked team in MLS this season. Messi and Miami showed glimpses of what they could accomplish last season and now that they have a full campaign ahead, the ceiling for this team in limitless.

Miami still has plenty of roster moves to make, as they will need to shed some salary to get under the cap with only days left before the season. However, a fully healthy Miami team still has to be considered as one of the favorites to lift the title at the end of the season. You can certainly argue that they still need to clean up their back line and their goalie issues but with Messi and his boys likely to average 4 a game, not many teams will be able to keep up with them.

Inter Miami will open up their season on opening night against Real Salt Lake in six days. They will wrap up their preseason tour against Newell’s Old Boys and gear up for the MLS season as well as the CONCACAF Champions Cup with their final friendly here on Thursday night. Inter Miami will be in CCC action on March 7th for the first of two legs in the round of 16 against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

#3: Can A MLS Team Finally Win The Champions Cup

There are plenty of Major League Soccer teams competing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup this season. But it is very few and far between that one of them lifts the title at the end. The 2024 edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup is already underway and so far nine MLS teams are still alive. Vancouver managed a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their first-round game. However, they were trounced 3-0 in the return leg and eliminated.

Other MLS teams like New England, Philadelphia, Houston, St.Louis, Cincinnati, Nashville, and Orlando City will be in action in the first round as well. Teams like Miami, and Columbus will be waiting in the second round. With ten of the 27 teams coming from MLS the league has the most members by far and should have the best odds of winning. With the way that the bracket is lined up at least one MLS team will exit in the first round, as St.Louis and Houston will face off.

The same can be said for the second round, as the winner of that tie will face Columbus. However, that also means at least one MLS team will make the quarterfinals. If everything goes right for the MLS from here on out then the league will have a max of five teams in the quarterfinals.

CONCACAF Champions Cup Schedule

Philadelphia Union- Feb. 20th and 27th

New England Revs- Feb. 21st and 29th

St.Louis vs Houston- Feb. 20th and 27th

Orlando City- Feb. 21st and 27th

Cincinnati- Feb. 22nd and 28th

Nashville- Feb. 22nd and 28th

Columbus- March 6th and 12th

Miami- March 7th and 13th