10 non-Lionel Messi reasons to watch MLS in 2024

From the moment Messi arrived, the question became: how would MLS capitalize on that arrival? And, while the training wheels haven't quite come off for the league, clubs went a bit wild this winter with their spending to bring in some big-money stars, with transfer records broken in the process.

FC Dallas' deal for Croatia international Petar Musa could end up being worth around $13 million. The Chicago Fire dropped up to $14m to sign Belgian star Hugo Cuypers. The LA Galaxy spent big money to get both Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil, while the Seattle Sounders opened their wallet to sign Pedro de la Vega, an Argentine prospect from Lanus.

It's not just young stars, either. Luis Suarez has of course joined Inter Miami, but he isn't the only familiar face in the league this season. Longtime Serie A standout Luis Muriel has arrived in Orlando, while the New York Red Bulls have signed Swedish star Emil Forsberg from their sister club RB Leipzig. There's a new goalkeeper in Los Angeles, too, as Tottenham favourite Hugo Lloris has linked up with LAFC this offseason.

The Messi effect is just starting to be felt but, combined with MLS' recent evolution into a launchpad for young stars, players are joining the league in bigger moves than we've ever seen.

We won't be seeing them for at least a little while as MLS and PRO remain in a labor dispute, but there are some exciting new rules coming at some point.

The league approved some changes heading into this season, headlined by a new off-field treatment rule. That states that any player who remains down with an injury for at least 15 seconds must then receive treatment for at least two minutes, with the league looking to combat time wasting.

In addition, a new timed substitution rule will require players to leave the field within 10 seconds when being taken out of a game. If they fail to leave, the replacement will have to wait an additional minute and enter at the next stoppage of play.

Both rules should speed up the game and take away some of the time-wasting behaviors that have turned many off in the past. It'll be interesting to see how they impact matches once officially unveiled when referees return.

While many of the U.S. men's national team's big stars play in Europe, it's important to remember that several of them got their start in MLS. So who's next to leap into a regular spot with the senior team?

Duncan McGuire is a contender. He would have been in Europe already if not for a blunder by Blackburn Rovers on deadline day. He'll be leaving soon enough but, for now, he remains with Orlando City for at least another few months.

John Tolkin is right on the edge of the USMNT, and the New York Red Bull star looks bound for Europe sooner or later as well. Jesus Ferreira is in the mix too and, despite his World Cup appearance, he's still only 23. Diego Luna is the people's pick, as anyone who likes a bit of fun in the game is rooting for the Real Salt Lake star.

Or could this season's breakout star be even younger? Teenagers Esmir Bajraktarevic, Benjamin Cremaschi and Caleb Wiley all have superstar potential. What kind of step forward will they take in 2024?

With both the Olympics and Copa America coming this summer, there are plenty of games ahead for these young stars.

Speaking of the Copa America, the big tournament is coming this summer. It will be played all over the U.S and there will be plenty of MLS representation on the field.

Argentina, of course, will have Messi, and possibly Thiago Almada, a World Cup winner. Messi's Miami teammates could very well be in the mix, too, with Suarez potentially joining Uruguay, Diego Gomez a contender to play for Paraguay and Leo Campana on the fringes of the Ecuador team. Orlando City's Facundo Torres could be in the mix for Uruguay, too.

Jamaica, Peru and Venezuela have always had MLS stars in their squads, while the U.S. and Canada will surely have representation as well. By the time the tournament rolls around, there will no doubt be plenty of MLS players on show.

We mentioned Almada, and it seems like the world is just waiting for him to make his big move. It didn't come this winter, but it is coming. Some European team is going to offer big money for the World Cup winner.

Who will join him, though? Which players are next to hop off the MLS talent conveyor belt and on to a European club?

We've already discussed McGuire, who will almost certainly leave this summer. Noel Buck has earned interest from England, too, but could certainly use some more games with the New England Revolution. Facundo Torres had Arsenal interested at one point, making him a candidate for a big sale.

Players like John Tolkin, Coco Carasquilla and Talles Magno are all on European radars also, but we'll have to wait and see who the next star to command a massive fee will be.

The Eastern Conference is going to be an absolute gauntlet. Messi and Inter Miami will have to really earn it if they do survive this season.

Last year's MLS Cup champions, the Columbus Crew, are among the favorites to win it it all, as are their cross-state rivals, FC Cincinnati, last year's Supporters' Shield winners. MLS Cup may very well go through the Hell is Real derby, with the two Ohio teams possibly being the two best in MLS.

The Philadelphia Union are running it back one more time, too, bringing back a large chunk of a squad that went to an MLS Cup final two seasons ago. Orlando City, meanwhile, has gotten better, as have the New York Red Bulls. Atlanta United have superstars in attack and a new-look midfield, while NYCFC and the New England Revolution have the talent to beat anyone on their day.

More than ever, the East is totally stacked, which will lead to some big matches long before we even reach the MLS Cup playoffs.

Last year's Leagues Cup will be remembered forever. It will go down as the moment Messi arrived, carrying Inter Miami through an incredible trophy run through sheer force of will.

That trophy will be on the line again this season when Inter Miami defends it later in the summer. It isn't the only one, though.

The CONCACAF Champions Cup has already started, as MLS looks to improve the league's performance in continental competition. Only one MLS team, the Seattle Sounders, won the tournament formerly known as the CONCACAF Champions League over the last two decades. Is this the year an American or Canadian club makes another run?

All eyes will also be on the U.S. Open Cup, although not for the best of reasons. It remains to be seen what the competition will look like as MLS and U.S. Soccer continue to do battle over its future. If it is played with MLS teams in some way, though, it will be as fun as always with the world watching on for cupsets.

There are plenty of trophies on the line and every MLS team will feel they can get their hands on at least one of them as the season gets going.

Since their arrival, LAFC have been a superpower in MLS. They're a perennial title contender and are fresh off an MLS Cup defeat to the Crew.

This season, though, they enter without the face of the franchise, Carlos Vela. It feels like a new era but, then again, maybe it isn't.

Vela could still return, with neither side shutting the door on a new deal. For now, though, this is Denis Bouanga's team - which isn't such a bad thing given his ridiculous goal return last season. LAFC may need to fight to keep hold of him this summer, as European interest seems to be there, but if they do they have a star.

They've brought in one major signing in Lloris. The French World Cup winner could very well be a legitimate match-winner in goal, which is a luxury few MLS teams have. It feels, though, that the big moves are coming later once the summer window opens.

Because of that, this LAFC team feels incomplete. We don't yet know what it will look like, but it's a safe bet to say that, by the end of the season, they'll look pretty good.

The Colorado Rapids aren't a team known for big spending. This offseason, though, the club has made some major moves to bring in some USMNT hopefuls.

Sam Vines is back after a stint in Belgium, with the Rapids closing a deal to re-sign their former fullback. Vines had been in and around the USMNT prior to the World Cup, and consistent minutes at left-back could help him re-enter the picture.

The club also went out and signed Zack Steffen, the USMNT's former No.1. The ex-Manchester City star needs games and the Rapids can provide them. With Matt Turner struggling at Nottingham Forest, Steffen will feel like he can get another crack at the U.S. job going forward.

And then there's Djordje Mihailovic, the talented No.10 who has returned from a spell in the Netherlands. Mihailovic is an MLS-proven playmaker and wasn't wildly out of his depth in the Eredivisie or anything; he simply wanted to come back home. How will he fare with a new team?

For the Rapids, the big question is how this translates. They stunned the league by finishing atop the conference in 2021, but have sunk back down to earth by missing the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Can they return to the postseason behind their new USMNT signings? That's the big question.

The only thing more appealing than a success story is a total dumpster fire, and that's what Toronto FC was last season.

Family arguments, vaping on airplanes, fights with fans... the 2023 Toronto FC team had it all. And the crazy part is that, heading into 2024, the club is largely running it back. Aside from the exits of Bob and Michael Bradley, the team has generally stayed the same, with both Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi remaining despite offering themselves back to Europe throughout the offseason.

The man charged with bringing order to it all is John Herdman, the former Canada head coach. Herdman worked wonders with the national team, building a cohesive culture that got the team all the way to the World Cup. The question is whether that can be replicated at Toronto FC or if the current squad is too broken to repair.

We'll find out this season. Bernardeschi and Insigne will be under the micriscope, for sure. They've probably already worn out their welcome with fans and, if they hadn't, there isn't much goodwill left. Whatever happens, it'll be entertaining as TFC look to get something, anything, out of two of the most expensive signings in MLS history.