SportsLine's Brandt Sutton reveals his picks for the MLS matchup between Lionel Messi and Inter Miami vs. New York City FC on Saturday

The defending MLS Cup champions, the Los Angeles Galaxy, are heading into the 30th season on a high note after claiming their sixth title last season. The team will have to aim for a repeat without their star player, Riqui Puig, who is out for a majority of the season with a ACL injury.

Despite crashing out of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs against Atlanta United, Miami were by far the best team through the regular season. With 22 wins in 34 matches, they hit 74 points to set a new single-season MLS points record, all while missing Lionel Messi for over a third of the season.