Messi clashed with the referee in Inter Miami's 2-2 draw with NYCFC, have a look at what he said to Da Silva after the match.

Messi, who is approaching his 38th birthday, remains a supernatural figure who continues to delight. But he also remains a mystery.

Messi is in his third season with the Herons and second entire MLS campaign. In 2024, he played just 19 games, scoring 20 goals and 16 assists, but injury and international duty kept him out for a significant amount of time. Still, he became the fastest player to reach 25 goal contributions in a single season last year.

While a 13-game slate opened up the season on Saturday night, the league also kicked off its new Sunday Night Soccer series, with two matches as the Vancouver Whitecaps trounced the Portland Timbers 4–1 and San Diego FC beat the MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy 2–0 in their debut match.

The Galaxy won MLS Cup a season ago, but they'll certainly be tested this year as they look to repeat as champions. LA has lost plenty of key pieces, most notably Dejan Joveljic and Jalen Neal. The club has has retooled though with several promising additions, including former Columbus Crew striker Christian Ramirez.