Inter Miami odds to win MLS: Can Lionel Messi achieve first Major League Soccer title in 2024? | Sporting News (2024)

Lionel Messi is gearing up for his first full season in Major League Soccer, hoping to guide Inter Miami towards new heights in the 2024 campaign.

The Argentine superstar joined Inter Miami last summer, in the midst of a trying campaign. While he was able to sensationally lead the club to its first-ever trophy in the Leagues Cup, he fell short of lifting the side off the bottom of the standings and into the playoffs.

Now, Inter Miami turn their sights towards a busy 2024 season which will see the club toil through the 34-game schedule from late February to mid-October, alongside fixtures in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, and US Open Cup.

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Can Messi add yet another league triumph on his glittering resume, as many in the U.S. expect to take place? Or will the World Cup winner fall short and succumb tofitness struggles and spotty form as he eclipses 37 years old in June?

Odds to win MLS Cup title 2024

Odds via DraftKings in USA. Odds as of February 20, 2024, prior to start of 2024 season.

Despite finishing second-bottom in the Eastern Conference last season, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are the betting favorites to win the 2024 MLS Cup title.

Those are exceedingly lofty expectations for the South Florida side, as the betting market clearly expects Inter Miami to run away with the competition, with the club given +250 odds, miles ahead of any other club.

Behind them are defending champions Columbus Crew, who finished third in the East last season but made a playoff run to win the Cup. Defending Supporters' Shield winners FC Cincinnati are fourth-favorite, while last year's Western Conference winners LAFC are in third.

Inter Miami odds for 2024 MLS season

Odds via FanDuel in USA. Odds as of February 20, 2024, prior to start of 2024 season.

According to the betting market prior to the start of the 2024 season, it'sconsidered a foregone conclusion that Inter Miami will reach the playoffs, despite finishing last season a full nine points and five places adrift of postseason qualification.

Inter Miami reside as the betting favorites in every single category listed, thought most likely to win the MLS Cup title in 2024 as well as givenminus oddsto finish atop the Eastern Conference table, something only rarely seen in preseason futures.

Can Inter Miami win MLS Cup title in 2024?

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While it's entirely possible that Inter Miami could look much improved this year with a full season of Lionel Messi's influence, the unflappable faith the betting market has placed in the South Florida club is, quite plainly, patently absurd.

There are massive questions about this Inter Miami squad coming into 2024, and it all starts with fitness and defense.

Inter Miami conceded 54 goals last season, second-most in the Eastern Conference, to which they responded by inexplicably trading their best defender Kamal Miller. DeAndre Yedlin looks totally cooked despite the fact he will only turn 31 this July, Serhiy Kryvtsov has lost significant pace at 32, and Tomas Aviles has a high ceiling but a long way to go to reach it.

In preseason, Inter Miami were battered defensively on multiple occasions. They went to pieces in midfield by both opponents dominant in possession and repeated counter-attacks as Sergio Busquets looked to be running in molasses.

Speaking of Busquets, keeping Inter Miami's former Barcelona core healthy across the arduous MLS season will be a monumental task. Both Messi and Busquets have already suffered from fitness concerns and the season hasn't even begun, with the latter logging huge minutes totals across the club's exhausting global jaunt.

Messi's troublesome cartilage problem continues to weigh down his ability to play each and every match, while new signing Luis Suarez sports a chronic knee issue which requires consistent treatment — both aging stars will surely require consistent time off to recuperate and keep fit for the long-term.

Alongside Suarez, the club added MLS veteran Julian Gressel to the ranks, plus center-back Nicolas Freire from Mexican club Pumas and young Argentine midfielder Federico Redondo, but that feels hardly enough to fill the proliferous holes in this squad.

While it's conceivable that Inter Miami will challenge for a playoff position, that is by no means the mortal lock suggested by their absurd odds, and they will be miles from challenging for the league title. If Messi does indeed will this club to a Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup title, or both, it would be nothing short of arguably the greatest magical conjuration to date in his illustrious career.