Lionel Messi left no doubts on Decision Day.
argentina icon Scored a hat trick in a 5-2 win against Nashville. On Saturday night, he wrapped up Major League Soccer’s Golden Boot award with his 29th goal of the season.
Inter Miami, who finished third in the Eastern Conference standings, will face No. 6 seed Nashville again in the opening round of the best-of-three MLS Cup Playoffs starting Friday.
Saturday was the league’s traditional deciding day and the final day of the regular season, with the two conferences playing simultaneously for playoff berths and seeding.
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game: “The truth is, as always, Leo has had an exceptional performance. If anyone had any doubts during the regular season, I think he cleared them all. He will definitely win the MVP award.”
The Philadelphia Union had already clinched first place in the East, winning the league’s Supporters’ Shield with a 1-0 victory over New York CFC on October 4. Philadelphia also secured home-field advantage through the playoffs and a berth in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The Union will play the winner of Wednesday’s wild-card game between the No. 8 Chicago Fire and No. 9 Orlando City in a best-of-three playoff series. The Fire qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2017 under first-year head coach Gregg Berhalter, a former U.S. men’s national team coach.
All of the East’s playoff spots had already been taken, but Saturday’s game determined the playoff bracket. In addition to the first-round series between Inter Miami and Nashville, No. 2 seed Cincinnati will play No. 7 Columbus, and No. 4 seed Charlotte will face No. 5 NYCFC. The higher seed will have home field advantage.
“It’s a great opportunity to play against our rival in the playoffs and play a meaningful game in the No. 3 game,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said. “Besides being a playoff team and playing in front of your fans in Game 1, if you’re not excited about an opportunity like that, there’s something missing there.”
Four teams from the Western Conference were vying for a playoff spot on Decision Day: the Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake, and San Jose Earthquakes.
If Colorado hosts LAFC, they will need to win or draw to get some help to advance. However, since signing Son Heung-min in August, Los Angeles has become a powerhouse. The teams ended in a 2-2 tie in Colorado, eliminating the Rapids from the postseason.
Vancouver needed a win or a draw against Dallas to secure the West’s top seed, but defender Matias Laborda was sent off with a red card in the 11th minute, leaving the Whitecaps playing with 10 men and Dallas winning 2–1.
The top seed advanced to Expansion San Diego and defeated the Timbers 4-0 in Portland. San Diego set several all-time records for an expansion club, including most wins (19) and most points (63).
San Diego will face the winner of Wednesday’s wild-card game against Real Salt Lake, which drew 2-2 with Portland and St. Louis.
Seventh-seeded Dallas will play second-seeded Vancouver, sixth-seeded Austin will play third-seeded LAFC, and fifth-seeded Seattle will play fourth-seeded Minnesota.
The “Wood Spoon”, an unofficial award given to the lowest-placed team in the league, went to DC United, who finished with 5 wins, 18 losses, 11 losses and 26 points.
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