Lionel Messi delivered another masterclass, scoring his second hat-trick in a week, and Luis Suarez netted twice as Inter Miami thrashed New England Revolution 6-2. The victory in their final regular season game set a new MLS points record with 74, surpassing New England’s 2021 record of 73.
Coming off the bench in the 58th minute, Messi ignited a flurry of late goals, bringing his MLS tally to 20 goals in 19 matches. Suarez matched Messi’s season total, scoring 20 in 27 games. Miami, already winners of the Supporters’ Shield, have now firmly established themselves as MLS Cup favorites.
The match had an intense start with Miami trailing 2-0 after goals from Luca Langoni and Dylan Borrero. However, Suarez sparked the comeback with two first-half goals, leveling the score before halftime. Messi’s introduction helped Miami take control, assisting Jordi Alba, who set up Benjamin Cremaschi to make it 3-2. New England thought they had equalized, but Bobby Wood’s goal was disallowed for handball after a VAR check.
Messi then took over, scoring three goals in 11 minutes, including a brilliant strike from a Suarez backheel and a sublime volley to complete his hat-trick. His electric performance marked a return to top form after a two-month injury layoff.
LAFC Take Top Seed After Dramatic Western Conference Finale
Elsewhere, LAFC claimed the top seed in the Western Conference, narrowly beating LA Galaxy on goal difference after a dramatic series of results. LAFC’s 3-1 win over San Jose seemed enough, but a stoppage-time penalty from Gabriel Pec for LA Galaxy threatened to take the top spot. However, Daniel Steres’ 11th-minute stoppage-time header secured a 2-1 win for Houston, handing LAFC the top seed by a single goal.
The playoffs are now set, with LAFC facing the winner of Vancouver vs. Portland in the wildcard round, while LA Galaxy will play Colorado Rapids.
