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Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi has secured his second consecutive Major League Soccer (MLS) Golden Boot after finishing the regular season with 26 goals, despite failing to score in his team’s 3-3 draw against Charlotte on Saturday.
The Argentine forward provided two assists from corner kicks as Miami settled for second place in the Eastern Conference, earning home advantage for the opening two rounds of the playoffs.
Messi became the first player to win the MLS Golden Boot in successive seasons, finishing four goals ahead of FC Dallas striker Petar Musa, who scored 22 times.
Musa did not find the net in Dallas’ 3-1 victory over Colorado on Saturday.
At Miami’s Nu Stadium, Ian Fray, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul scored in the first half to give the hosts a three-goal lead.
However, Charlotte mounted a comeback after the break, with Liel Abada scoring twice before Rodolfo Aloko struck in the 90th minute to secure a draw for the visitors.
Messi’s two assists came from set pieces. His 14th-minute corner fell to Charlotte’s Luca de la Torre, whose attempted clearance allowed Fray to score. Another corner in the 33rd minute found Suarez unmarked at the near post, where the Uruguayan headed home Miami’s second goal.
De Paul added a third before the interval, but Abada reduced the deficit shortly after the restart and scored again in the 55th minute.
Aloko completed Charlotte’s comeback in the final minute of regulation time, reacting quickest after a shot by Smalls rebounded off the post.
Messi struck the woodwork during stoppage time, while Aloko later came close to scoring a winner with a powerful effort that hit the outside of the net.
Elsewhere, Nashville SC finished the regular season with a record 77 points after defeating Cincinnati 2-0 to secure the Eastern Conference title.
With 23 wins, three defeats and eight draws, Nashville surpassed the previous MLS single-season points record of 74, set by Inter Miami in 2024.
Miami ended the campaign with 60 points, while New England remained third on 58 after losing 1-0 away to Orlando City.
Miami will face Columbus in the opening round of the playoffs. Other Eastern Conference fixtures include New England against Philadelphia, Charlotte against Chicago, and Nashville against the winner of the wild-card match between Orlando and Cincinnati.
Columbus secured seventh place and avoided the wild-card round with a 4-3 win at Chicago, taking advantage of Cincinnati’s defeat.
Western Conference champions Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Canadian rivals Montreal 2-0 to finish second in the overall standings. The result gives Vancouver home advantage if they meet Inter Miami in a repeat of last year’s MLS Cup final.
Six teams entered the final matchday, known as Decision Day, competing for the remaining three playoff positions in the Western Conference.
Portland, Colorado and LA Galaxy needed victories to guarantee qualification, but only Portland achieved that, beating Austin 2-0.
Real Salt Lake secured a 2-1 win over LA Galaxy, while Colorado lost 3-1 to Dallas, allowing Salt Lake to qualify for the postseason.
Seattle Sounders claimed the final spot with a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles FC. Albert Rusnak opened the scoring in the first minute before setting up Sebastian Gomez for Seattle’s second in the 31st minute. LAFC pulled one back through Eddie Segura in the 82nd minute but could not find an equaliser.
Minnesota United defeated San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 but finished one point behind Real Salt Lake, joining LA Galaxy outside the playoff places.
The Western Conference playoff fixtures will see Vancouver face the winner of the Seattle-Real Salt Lake wild-card tie, Dallas take on Portland, LAFC meet St. Louis and Houston play San Jose.
