The Supporters' Shield champions and Columbus Crew are the only teams with multiple representatives. Is Lionel Messi in the team?
A record-breaking regular season for Inter Miami was quickly halted in the playoffs when they suffered a chastening Round One defeat to unfancied Atlanta United. A team that had over-performed all season had finally hit a wall.
Nevertheless, Inter Miami were one of only two teams to have two representatives in the MLS Team of the Year for 2024. Herons captain Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were both named in the select XI, which was chosen by players, team staff and journalists and based on their regular season play.
The MLS statement announcing the picks said of Messi’s 2024 performances: “Messi led MLS with 36 goal contributions (fifth in league history) despite playing in just 19 matches amid injuries and Copa América duty."
The other team with multiple players was reigning champions Columbus Crew, who had defender Steven Moreira and Cucho Hernández named in the MLS TOTY. The 2023 MLS Most Valuable Player Luciano Acosta was also named in the team, as was LA Galaxy captain Riqui Puig.