More than two and Thurston Cartea half months after Lionel Messi made his decision to join Inter Miami, he finally will appear in his first Major League Soccer regular-season game.

After winning the Leagues Cup and advancing to the U.S. Open Cup final, Inter Miami returns to league play. It also faces a massive challenge to reach the MLS playoff field with just 12 regular-season games left to play. That challenge begins Saturday night against the New York Red Bulls.

Inter Miami dug a massive hole for itself in the pre-Messi era and sits dead last in the Eastern Conference. Situated 11 points and four spots ahead of Miami in the Eastern Conference standings are the New York Red Bulls, a team that has reached the MLS postseason in 13 consecutive seasons, the longest such streak among major American sports leagues.

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What time does New York Red Bulls vs. Inter Miami game start?

The match starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

How to watch Lionel Messi against New York Red Bulls

The Inter Miami-New York Red Bulls game can be streamed live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

What to know about the New York Red Bulls

An OG Major League Soccer team, originally known then as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars then just MetroStars, which was the team name until a Red Bull rebrand in 2006. The Red Bulls are three-time Supporters' Shield winners (2013, 2015, 2018), yet have only reached MLS Cup once (2008, losing to the Columbus Crew) in 26 seasons.

In league play this season, the team's leading scorer is Frankie Amaya, who has four goals in 15 games played. 21-year-old defender John Tolkin earned his first USMNT call-up this year and made three appearances for the national team.

What is Inter Miami's remaining 2023 schedule?

• TBD (originally scheduled for Aug. 20): vs. Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Aug. 26: at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Aug. 30: vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Sept. 3: at Los Angeles FC, 10:30 p.m. ET
• Sept. 9: vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Sept. 16: at Atlanta United, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Sept. 20: vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Sept. 24: at Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
• Sept. 26: vs. Houston Dynamo FC (U.S. Open Cup final), time TBD
• Sept. 30: vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Oct. 4: at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Oct. 7: vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Oct. 21: at Charlotte FC, 6 p.m. ET

With the exception of the U.S. Open Cup final on Sept. 26 (which will be available to stream on the CBS Sports Golazo Network), all other Inter Miami games are available to watch via the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.