MLS is squandering golden Messi opportunities

Lionel Messi kicked off his first full MLS season with Inter Miami Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Chandan Khanna / Getty Images)Major League Soccer employs Lionel Messi, perhaps the most popular human on planet earth, and its 2024 plan to capitalize on his greatness appears to be this:

1. Put the first match of Messi’s first full season behind a paywall, on a Wednesday night, to hide it from most casual sports fans.

2. Incite a power struggle with the U.S. Soccer Federation that is once again angering dedicated supporters as the 2024 season kicks off.

3. Lock out MLS referees, and scramble for replacement officials, to draw condemnation from the MLS Players’ Association and distract…