A handful of notable Major League Soccer players are out for international duty, and some are plagued with injuries, including MLS poster boy himself, Lionel Messi. The GOAT is still mending a leg injury that he sustained during Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw against Nashville FC in the CONCACAF Champions League, forcing Messi to sit out Argentina’s warmup games this international window and Inter Miami’s domestic games as well.
This left new recruit Luis Suarez to spearhead Inter Miami against the Raging Red Bulls during their recent MLS clash. It wasn’t a “no Messi, no problem” type of ordeal for Inter Miami, as they got thrashed by a new-look RBNY with a 4-0 score line.
Lewis Morgan was the man of the match during their onslaught over Suarez and his teammates, as RBNY’s No. 10 played one of the best games of his career and scored a hat-trick against the ailing Inter Miami. Wikelman Carmona got into the goal party and scored an insurance goal in minute 66.
“I’m always confident, confident in front of the goal. I think today was more about the players around me,” said Morgan post-match. “My goals were just a combination of what the guys did and the hard work they put in.”
Morgan becomes the fourth player in RBNY history to record multiple hat tricks. His first three-goal masterpiece came in the Red Bull’s 4-1 victory against Toronto FC last season.
This performance from the Red Bulls will serve as a great sigh of relief to RBNY fans after last week’s humbling 3-0 road defeat against Columbus Crew. With this win, NYRB boast a 3-1-1 record in their first five games, trailing the conference leaders, Cincinnati, by just one point.
Referee lockout continues
Major League Soccer referees have been on a lockout since before the start of the 2024 season due to an ongoing labour dispute between MLS and the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA), and there’s no sign of this ending anytime soon.
“This is their weak attempt to apply economic pressure, and MLS is sacrificing the quality of the game to do that,” exclaimed Peter Manikowski, lead negotiator for PSRA, in a statement on the lockout initiated on February 18. “We call it like it is, and this is a foul.”
While the staple MLS referees are sitting at home, the league games are being refereed by replacement officials drafted in from the lower levels of various countries like Turkey, Poland, Jamaica, and the US.
This resulted in questionable and even laughable officiating in certain MLS games. But the people who are most affected by this referee strike are the managers and players themselves.
The MLS Players Association had already pleaded last month, requesting a quick resolution to the dispute, sharing their concern that opting to use replacement officials could be harmful for the game and could be detrimental for the players’ health and safety. But to no avail.
The opening match of the 2024 regular season played between Messi’s Inter Miami and Real Salt Lake was officiated, with replacement referee Cristian Campo Hernandez taking charge of the match.
This comes at the most opportune time for football in the United States. The football world is definitely taking notice of this, as the United States is one of the nations to host the 2026 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America.
Lorenzo Insigne suffers right leg injury
In other Major League Soccer 2024 news, Toronto FC defeated Atlanta United 2-0. With this win, Toronto improves to a 3-1-1 record in their first five and now have 10 points. Inter Miami, NYRB, Columbus, and Toronto are in a four-way tie with 10 league points in the Eastern Conference, while Cincinnati relish the top spot in the East on their own with 11 points.
The win for Toronto came with a lofty price, as their veteran forward, Lorenzo Insigne, didn’t make it to halftime as he was seen hobbling off the field during first-half stoppage time. The 32-year-old Italian has struggled to remain healthy since joining Toronto FC in 2022, and it’s looking like it will be more of the same during the 2024 campaign—at least this SBOTOP writer thinks so.
“We’ve been very unfortunate with the injuries,” head coach John Herdman said post-match. “With Lor [Insigne], sometimes it’s his calf, so this is a new one for him. I’d say a cold night; they’re always vulnerable on nights like this, and unfortunately, it’s his turn.”
Shane O’Neill was another Toronto player who didn’t make it to halftime during their clash against Atlanta. O’Neill, who was battling concussion issues last season, had to be helped off the pitch halfway through the first half after taking a knock to the head.
Expect a dip in the Major League Soccer 2024 odds for Toronto FC while they brave this injury-riddled stretch of football this season.
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