Miami:Inter Miami's Lionel Messi secured his second consecutive MLS Golden Boot award on Saturday after a 3-3 draw against Charlotte, which saw the defending champions finish second in the Eastern Conference. Although Messi did not score, he assisted in the first two goals at Miami's Nu Stadium, both from corners, helping the team secure a home-field advantage for the initial playoff rounds.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Messi's 26 goals this season made him the first player to win back-to-back MLS Golden Boot awards. Petar Musa of Dallas was the runner-up with 22 goals, failing to score in Dallas' 3-1 victory over Colorado.
Inter Miami's match saw early goals from Ian Fray, Luis Suarez, and Rodrigo De Paul, but Charlotte's Liel Abada scored twice after halftime, and Rodolfo Aloko's late goal completed the comeback. Despite this, Miami retained second place in the East with 60 points, as New England lost 1-0 to Orlando, finishing with 58 points.
Nashville set a new all-time MLS points record with 77 points after defeating Cincinnati 2-0, surpassing Miami's previous record of 74 points set in 2024. As the top seed, Nashville will face the wild-card winner, Orlando or Cincinnati, in the playoffs. Other Eastern Conference matchups include New England against Philadelphia and Charlotte against Chicago.
In the Western Conference, Vancouver secured a home-field advantage by beating Montreal 2-0. On "Decision Day," Portland, Colorado, and the Los Angeles Galaxy needed wins for playoff spots. Only Portland succeeded, beating Austin 2-0. Real Salt Lake and Seattle also advanced, with Seattle defeating Los Angeles FC 2-1.
The Western Conference playoffs will feature Vancouver against the Seattle-Salt Lake wild-card winner, Dallas against Portland, LAFC against St. Louis, and Houston against San Jose.