Lionel Messi puts exclamation point on MLS regular season with hat trick, cements MVP-worthy campaign

For the second straight campaign, Lionel Messi is closing out the season on a high note with a hat trick as Inter Miami defeated Nashville SC 5-2 on Saturday night. Due to FC Cincinnati also winning on Decision Day, that means that the Herons can't climb above third in the Eastern Conference and will set them up for a rematch facing Nashville in a best-of-three series in the opening round.

With Messi scoring a hat trick and Sam Surridge also scoring for Nashville, that could be a blockbuster of a playoff series as Miami will have the added mental boost of defeating Nashville to close out the season. Not only has Lionel Messi likely secured the Golden Boot with his 29th goal on the season (Denis Bouanga would need five to catch him for Los Angeles FC as he has 24 currently), but he has also likely secured a second consecutive league MVP award with his 19th assist alongside that (including secondary assists). It's the second-best single-season goal contribution season behind only Carlos Vela's 34 goals and 15 assists in 2019, which shows the historic nature of what we're experiencing watching the Argentine number 10.

The season hasn't gone according to plan for Miami as they've yet to win a knockout tournament, but winning the MLS Cup would be able to turn things into a success for Javier Mascherano and the Herons. After being knocked out in the MLS Cup playoffs in the first round by Atlanta United last season, which caused an entire overhaul of the team and the coaching staff, getting past Nashville will be critical. 

For anything that Miami want to do, Messi will be critical to it as they'll look to send Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba into retirement on the right foot. They're quite familiar with B.J. Callaghan's Nashville side, having squared off six times since the beginning of 2024. They've played in pressure scenarios with the Herons, defeating Nashville in the 2023 Leagues Cup final to win the tournament and getting past Nashville in the knockouts of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. 

Nashville will be aware of that history and looking to do the domestic double after winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the first time in their history, so the winner of this series will be a formidable opponent for whoever they face in the knockout rounds, but get the popcorn ready because this will be worth watching.

The first round of the MLS Cup playoffs will take place from Oct. 24 to Nov. 9, giving both teams a bit of time to rest. Miami will host the first and last matches, with the middle fixture being in Nashville, and the first team to two wins will advance to the conference semifinals.