MIAMI (Realist English). On the final day of the MLS regular season, 7 November, the Golden Boot winner and the league’s new points record-holder were decided. Lionel Messi, despite not scoring against Charlotte, retained first place in the scoring race with 26 goals and became the first player in MLS history to win the award twice in a row.
Scoring race: Messi in a class of his own
Second place went to FC Dallas forward Petar Musa with 22 goals, who did not register any goal contributions in the match against Colorado (3-1). Third was Nashville striker Sam Surridge (21 goals), who scored a brace in the decisive game of the season, while Vancouver Whitecaps’ Brian White completed the top four (20 goals).
For Messi, this is his fourth MLS season: in 2025 he scored 29 goals, and in 2026, despite a slight decline, he was again the best, adding 17 assists to his 26 goals and 43 goal contributions (goals + assists) — the third-best figure in league history for a single season.
Drama in Miami: a lead squandered
Inter Miami went into the final matchday with a chance to catch Nashville in the fight for first place in the East but could not hold on to victory. At half-time the team led 3-0 thanks to goals from Ian Fray, Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, with the first two set up from Messi corners. However, in the second half Charlotte staged a comeback: Liel Abada scored a brace, and Rodolfo Aloco equalised in the 90th minute. Messi had a chance to win it in stoppage time but hit the post. As a result, Miami finished second in the East with 60 points and secured home advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Nashville’s record: a historic season
While Miami was dropping points, Nashville won 2-0 away at Cincinnati and set several MLS records at once. In addition to the highest points total (77), the team recorded 23 wins with just 3 defeats and 8 draws, also the best mark in league history. Nashville surpassed Inter Miami’s previous achievement (74 points in 2024) and claimed the Supporters’ Shield with a 13-point margin — another record.
Among the club’s other achievements are the fewest goals conceded in a season (25), the largest points gap in the race for the regular-season title, and equalling the record for clean sheets (17). Goalkeeper Brian Schwake equalled Tony Meola’s record (16 shutouts in a season), and head coach B.J. Callaghan became the most winning coach in MLS history at the start of his career (42 wins in 77 matches). Sam Surridge scored a brace in the decisive game, reaching the 20+ goal mark for the second season in a row.
Playoffs: the balance of power
In the first round of the playoffs, Inter Miami will face Columbus Crew (seventh in the East), while Nashville will play the winner of the play-in match between Orlando and Cincinnati. Miami will try to defend the MLS Cup title, but no club has won back-to-back championships since 2011–2012.
Messi’s second Golden Boot confirms his status as the league’s dominant scorer, even if this season he could not repeat his scoring record (29 goals in 2025). However, the main event of the day was not the Argentine’s individual award but Nashville’s team record: 77 points, 23 wins and just three defeats — a figure that looks almost anomalous in MLS history.
The question now is whether Nashville can convert the regular season into an MLS Cup trophy, or whether Miami with Messi, having received extra rest and home advantage, will again prove stronger in the decisive matches. The playoffs start in the coming weeks and will provide the answer.
