Messi wins second MLS Golden Boot as Nashville sets points record

Lionel Messi won his second consecutive MLS Golden Boot award on Saturday after Inter Miami took second place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-3 draw against Charlotte FC on the final day of the regular season. Messi finished the season with 26 goals, becoming the first player in MLS history to win back-to-back Golden Boots. Petar Musa of Dallas finished second on 22 goals.

Messi did not score against Charlotte but set up the first two goals at Miami's Nu Stadium, both from corners, securing home-field advantage for Inter Miami's first two playoff rounds. Ian Fray, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul scored three first-half strikes for Inter Miami before Liel Abada scored twice and Rodolfo Aloko bagged the equalizer. Messi hit the post in stoppage time.

Nashville broke the all-time MLS points record for a season with 77 points after beating Cincinnati 2-0. At 23-3 with eight draws, Nashville won the East and broke the mark of 74 points set by Miami in 2024. Miami finished second in the East on 60 points as third-place New England failed to take advantage of Inter's draw with a surprise 1-0 loss at Orlando to end on 58.

Inter Miami will face Columbus to begin the MLS playoffs. Other East matchups send New England against Philadelphia, Charlotte against Chicago and top seed Nashville against the wild-card winner, Orlando or Cincinnati. Columbus took advantage of the Cincinnati loss with a 4-3 victory at Chicago to finish seventh and avoid the wild-card round.

In the Western Conference, Vancouver beat Montreal 2-0 to finish second overall, giving the Whitecaps a home-field edge if they should face Inter Miami in a rematch of last year's MLS Cup final.

Portland won 2-0 at Austin to secure a playoff berth, while Real Salt Lake beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 and Colorado fell at Dallas, allowing Real into the post-season. Seattle claimed the final spot with a 2-1 home win over Los Angeles FC.

Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains Inter Miami. He has won eight Ballons d'Or, six European Golden Shoes, and been named FIFA's world's best player eight times. Nashville SC is an American professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee, competing in MLS as a member of the Eastern Conference.

Eastern Conference final standings

Sources

• Yahoo Sports

• deccanchronicle.com

• Wikipedia: Lionel Messi (background)

• Wikipedia: Nashville SC (background)

• Photo: Barcaforever69, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)