Inter Miami's Lionel Messi has won his second consecutive MLS Golden Boot award, finishing the season with 26 goals. This achievement makes him the first player to win back-to-back MLS Golden Boot awards. Messi did not score in his team's final game of the season, a 3-3 draw against Charlotte, but he set up two goals from corners to help secure a home-field advantage for the first two playoff rounds.
Messi's team, Inter Miami, finished second in the Eastern Conference with 60 points, behind Nashville, who broke the all-time MLS points record for a season with 77 points. Nashville won the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 victory over Cincinnati, finishing the season with a record of 23-3 and eight draws. This surpasses the previous record of 74 points set by Miami in 2024.
In the Eastern Conference, New England failed to take advantage of Inter Miami's draw, losing 1-0 to Orlando and finishing with 58 points. Columbus took advantage of Cincinnati's loss, defeating Chicago 4-3 to finish seventh and avoid the wild-card round. The playoff matchups in the East have been set, with Messi's Inter Miami facing Columbus, New England against Philadelphia, Charlotte against Chicago, and top seed Nashville against the wild-card winner, either Orlando or Cincinnati.
In the Western Conference, Vancouver finished second overall, beating Montreal 2-0 to secure a home-field edge if they face Inter Miami in a rematch of last year's MLS Cup final. There were six teams competing for the last three Western Conference playoff spots on the final day of the regular season. Portland secured a playoff berth with a 2-0 victory at Austin, while Real Salt Lake beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 and Colorado fell at Dallas.
Seattle claimed the last playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 2-1 home win over Los Angeles FC. Albert Rusnak scored in the first minute and assisted on Sebastian Gomez's goal in the 31st minute for Seattle. Eddie Segura's response in the 82nd minute was too little, too late for Los Angeles FC. Minnesota beat visiting San Jose 3-1 but finished a point shy of the last playoff spot, which was taken by Real Salt Lake.
The playoff pairings in the Western Conference have been set, with Vancouver facing the Seattle-Salt Lake wildcard winner, Dallas against Portland, LAFC against St. Louis, and Houston against San Jose. Messi's Inter Miami will face Columbus in the first round of the playoffs, looking to advance and potentially make a deep run in the postseason.
The MLS playoffs are set to begin, with several exciting matchups and storylines to follow. Messi's achievement of winning back-to-back Golden Boot awards is a notable highlight of the season, and his team will look to build on that success in the playoffs. The postseason will feature several teams competing for the championship, with Nashville, Vancouver, and Seattle among the top contenders.
Key points
- Lionel Messi wins second consecutive MLS Golden Boot award with 26 goals this season.
- Nashville breaks all-time MLS points record for a season with 77 points.
- Inter Miami's Lionel Messi will face Columbus in the first round of the MLS playoffs.
