"Lionel Messi left no doubt on Decision Day. The Argentine icon s cored a hat-trick in a 5-2 victory over Nashville on Saturday night to wrap up Major League Soccer's Golden Boot award with 29 goals this season. Inter Miami finished third in the Eastern Conference standings and will again face sixth-seeded Nashville starting Friday in the best-of-three opening round of the MLS Cup playoffs."
"The truth is that Leo has been exceptional, as he usually is. I think if anyone had doubts about his regular season, he has cleared them all. He will surely be awarded the MVP, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game. The Philadelphia Union had already clinched the top spot in the East and claimed the league's Supporters' Shield with a 1-0 victory over NYC FC on 4 October."
"The Fire secured their first playoff spot since 2017 under first-year head coach Gregg Berhalter, the former US men's national team coach. All off the East's playoff spots had already been claimed but Saturday's games determined playoff matchups. In addition to the first-round series between Inter Miami and Nashville, second-seeded Cincinnati plays No 7 Columbus and No 4 Charlotte meets No 5 NYCFC. The higher seed gets home field advantage."
Decision Day was the final regular-season day with simultaneous conference games that decided playoff spots and seeding. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Nashville to claim the MLS Golden Boot with 29 goals. Inter Miami finished third in the Eastern Conference and will face sixth-seeded Nashville in a best-of-three opening round. The Philadelphia Union clinched the top spot in the East and the Supporters' Shield after a 1-0 win over NYCFC, securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and a place in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. The Chicago Fire reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017 under Gregg Berhalter. Other first-round matchups include Cincinnati vs Columbus and Charlotte vs NYCFC, with higher seeds hosting.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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