The biggest Major League Soccer ever starts on Saturday, with 30 teams competing for the first time as the league enters its 30th season.
There is a new team, with new Britons in the league too – and of course there is Lionel Messi.
BBC Sport looks at some of the talking points before the 2025 season begins.
Between 2014 and 2018, Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba all played together for Barcelona.
Now they are all working together at Inter Miami.
This will be a second full season at the club for Messi, one of football’s all-time greats, who joined midway through the 2023 season.
He is the club’s ‘all-time’ top scorer with 34 goals – although they only started playing matches in 2020.
Mascherano, who last managed Argentina’s Olympics team, took charge in the off-season, replacing Gerardo Martino – who was Barca boss in 2013-14.
Last season, Suarez scored 25 goals and Messi, who had an injury-hit campaign and only played 25 times, netted 23.
The club were controversially allowed into this summer’s Club World Cup after topping the MLS league at the end of the regular season.
But the MLS champions are actually the team who win the post-season play-offs – with Miami going out in the first round.
Can Mascherano help their stars win their first MLS title? They will have to juggle that with the Concacaf Champions Cup, Fifa Club World Cup and Leagues Cup.
Philadelphia Union forward Cavan Sullivan, 15, has already played three MLS games – and is reportedly set to join Manchester City in a few years.
He made his debut last season at the age of just 14 – and signed the largest deal for a homegrown player in MLS history.
“I think the collaboration between the Union and the City Group did it for me,” he told ESPN last year., external
“I always watch Man City. They’re like every kid’s dream team. For [Philadelphia and City] to come together and agree on something – I sat with my family and my agents and we decided that it was the best plan.”
The deal has never been formally announced by either team.
A USA Under-17 international, Sullivan is also eligible for Germany.
His German dual nationality means he would be able to join a European Union team at the age of 16 – so midway through 2025-26 – if City decided to send him to one of their sister clubs.
San Diego FC will bring MLS up to 30 teams for the first time.
The club, founded by British-Egyptian businessman Mohamed Mansour, have an ownership group involving former Spain midfielder Juan Mata, the-winning musician Tems.
Northern Ireland international Paddy McNair joined the club last summer and spent the first half of the season – when San Diego had no games – at West Brom.
Former England Under-20 winger Alex Mighten, 22, who was on loan at Port Vale from Nottingham Forest last season, also joined the club in the summer.
Their biggest name player is Mexico’s former PSV and Napoli winger Hirving Lozano.
Former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith is about to enter his second season in charge of Charlotte FC and he has added a familiar Premier League name to his squad.
Crystal Palace legend Wilfried Zaha has joined them on loan for the season from Galatasaray.
Amongst the English players in their squad are ex-Burnley midfielder Ashley Westwood, former Wigan full-back Nathan Byrne and 22-year-old forward Tyger Smalls, whose biggest English team were Felixstowe & Walton United.
Atlanta United have a British feel to their backroom staff – and to their playing roster too.
Ex-Celtic boss Ronny Deila was named as manager in December.
Former Scotland striker Kenny Miller came in as his assistant boss and Elliot Parish, who played for several English lower league sides and in the Scottish top flight, was named goalkeeping coach.
Former Wales international Carl Robinson keeps his place on the coaching staff, while ex-Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan is their captain.
They have signed Newcastle United winger Miguel Almiron for £9m and Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath for an MLS record fee of £22.5m.
Add Comment