Lionel Messi left no doubt on Decision Day.
The Argentine icon scored 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.
Saturday was the league’s traditional Decision Day, the final day of the regular season when the two conferences each played games simultaneously with playoff spots and seeding on the line.
“The truth is that Leo has been exceptional, as he usually is,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game. “I think if anyone had doubts about his regular season, he has cleared them all. He will surely be awarded the MVP.
The Philadelphia Union already had clinched the top spot in the East and claimed the league’s Supporters’ Shield with a 1-0 victory over NYCFC on Oct. 4. The Union also secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and a spot in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The Union will play the winner of Wednesday’s wild-card match between the eighth-seeded Chicago Fire and ninth place Orlando City in the best-of-three first-round playoff series. The Fire secured their first playoff spot since 2017 under first-year coach Gregg Berhalter, the former U.S. men’s national team coach.
All off the East’s playoff spots already had 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.
“What a great opportunity we get to play a rival in the playoffs and meaningful games in a best-of-three,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said. “If you don’t get excited about that and those opportunities, on top of being a playoff team and playing in front of our fans in the first game, there’s something missing there.”
Four Western Conference teams were clamoring for a playoff spot on Decision Day: The Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake and the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Rapids hosted LAFC needing a win to advance or a draw and help. But LAFC has been a juggernaut since Son Heung-Min was signed in August. The teams played to a 2-2 draw in Colorado, knocking the Rapids out of the postseason.
Vancouver needed a win or draw against Dallas to secure the West’s top seed, but defender Mathías Laborda was sent off with a red card in the 11th minute and the Whitecaps played with 10 the rest of the way. Dallas prevailed 2-1.
The top seed went to expansion San Diego, which defeated the Timbers 4-0 in Portland. San Diego set several superlatives for an expansion club, including most wins (19) and most points (63).
San Diego will face the winner of Wednesday’s wild-card match between Portland and visiting Real Salt Lake, which played to a 2-2 draw with St. Louis.
Seventh-seeded Dallas will play second-seeded Vancouver, No. 6 Austin faces No. 3 LAFC and No. 5 Seattle plays No. 4 Minnesota.
The Wooden Spoon, the unofficial award given to the league’s worst team, went to D.C. United, which finished 5-18-11 with 26 points.