The Daily Heron: Inter Miami Loans Out and Messi’s FC 24 Rating

It is that time again for us to bring you the news you may or may not have seen today related to Inter Miami.

It’s The Daily Heron.

Yeah, maybe a little too much fanfare for our issue the day before a match, but we enjoy it.

Let’s get into the headlines.

Lionel Messi’s FC 24 Rating

In the not-so-distant future, the latest iteration of the FIFA Soccer game will be released to the masses.

This time around — due to branding issues and the like — the game will be released as FC 24 (kind of lame, but we’ll probably buy it anyway).

Since joining Inter Miami, there’s been much ado about what rating Lionel Messi will have as a player in the game.

Well, The Loadout did a deep dive to examine what that rating might be.

Not to branch out too far, the outlet suggests Messi’s player rating will be 91… the same as it was in FIFA Soccer 23.

Not to be outdone, others have projected what his player rating would be and the trend is lower than 91…

It’s not that I care because I’ll still grind to get him and suit him up in Inter Miami gear, but there are a lot of people who do (and I’ll never understand why).

Inter Miami Loan Out Harvey Neville

Yes, it happened yesterday, but we’ll mention it anyway.

Inter Miami has loaned out former manager Phil Neville’s son Harvey to Loudoun United FC in the USL Championship for the remainder of the season.

Harvey Neville signed with Inter Miami last August and debuted against CF Montreal in October.

This season, he made 11 appearances for the Herons — including two in the U.S. Open Cup. But he has not played since the opening of the MLS transfer window.

He’ll be on loan to Loudoun for the remainder of the season.

I mean, it kind of makes sense as he surrendered his No. 18 jersey to Jordi Alba already.

He can only help Loudoun United — a team second-to-last in the USL Championship, garnering just seven wins in 27 games this season.

Messi May or May Not Start Against New York

In his regular news conference, Inter Miami manager Tata Martino would not commit to whether Lionel Messi would play at New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

Martino suggested a decision on Messi playing would not come until after training on Friday and before the team leaves for New York.

I get that this is a pretty big deal, but c’mon… he’s already played in eight consecutive matches since signing last month.

If he wants a break, he deserves a break.

Inter Miami Partners with Royal Caribbean

It’s safe to say businesses around Miami… or at least critical to commerce in Miami… have lined up to become partners with Inter Miami since Messi signed with the club.

The latest to join is Royal Caribbean — the cruise ship line that departs regularly out of the Port of Miami.

They will become the club’s “Official Vacation Partner” (whatever that means) and have advertising in and around DRV PNK Stadium when Inter Miami plays at home.

Not sure what else is involved in the partnership, but it’s good to see major corporations stepping up to support the Herons.

ICYMI: What to Expect as Inter Miami Takes New York

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that our game preview between Inter Miami and New York Red Bulls is out.

You want to make sure to check it out.

Game time is 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Revenue Record For Inter Miami

In a report from Sportico, Inter Miami is projecting annual revenues north of $200 million for the 2024 season.

In case you were wondering, the initial projection (before Messi signed with the club) was a third of that.

It certainly pays to bring in the biggest player in the world to play for your club.

Some deeper numbers to chew on:

And, by the way, $200 million would not only be a Major League Soccer record, it would also put Inter Miami among the highest-grossing clubs in the world.