Lionel Messi left no doubt on Decision Day.
The Argentine icon scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Nashville on Saturday night to win Major League Soccer's Golden Boot award after scoring 29 goals this season.
Inter Miami finished third in the Eastern Conference standings and will face sixth-seeded Nashville again starting Friday in the first round of the best-of-three MLS Cup playoffs.
Saturday was the league's traditional Decision Day, the final day of the regular season when both conferences played games at the same time with playoff berths and seeding on the line.
“The truth is that Leo, as usual, was exceptional. I think if anyone had any doubts about his regular season, he put them all to rest. He will certainly be awarded the MVP award,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game.
The Philadelphia Union have already clinched first place in the East and won the league's Supporters' Shield with a 1-0 win over New York FC on October 4th. Philadelphia also secured home-field advantage in the playoffs and a spot in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
The Union will play the winner of Wednesday's wild card matchup between eighth-seeded Chicago Fire and ninth-seeded Orlando City in a best-of-three first-round playoff series. The Fire secured their first playoff berth 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 have already been declared, but Saturday's games will determine the 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 faces No. 5 New York. The higher seeded player receives home field advantage.
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“What a great opportunity to play a playoff opponent and a big-time best-of-three matchup,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said. “If you're not excited about these opportunities, on top of being on a playoff team and playing in front of our fans in the first game, then something is missing.”
On Decision Day, four Western Conference teams competed for a playoff spot: the Colorado Rapids, Dallas, Real Salt Lake and the San Jose Earthquakes.
Colorado hosted LAFC and needed a win to advance or a draw and help. But since signing Heung-Min Son in August, Los Angeles has become a powerhouse. In Colorado, the teams tied 2-2, knocking the Rapids out of the postseason.
Vancouver needed a win or draw over Dallas to secure first place in the West, but defenseman Matias Laborda was sent off with a red card in the 11th minute and the Whitecaps played at 10 the rest of the game, with Dallas winning 2–1.
First place went to expansion team San Diego, which defeated the Timbers 4–0 in Portland. San Diego set several superlatives for the expansion club, including most wins (19) and most points (63).
San Diego will face the winner of Wednesday's matchup between Portland and Real Salt Lake City, which tied 2-2 with St. Louis.
Seventh-seeded Dallas will play second-seeded Vancouver, No. 6 Austin will face third-seeded LAFC and No. 5 Seattle will play No. 4 Minnesota.
The Wooden Spoon, an unofficial award given to the league's worst team, went to D.C. United, which finished 5-18-11 with 26 points.
