Lionel Messi and Inter Miami made Major League Soccer (MLS) history on Saturday night as they eased past the New England Revolution 6-2 on the final day of regular season action.
Miami staged an incredible comeback after going two goals behind in the first half, scoring six unanswered to delight the home fans at Chase Stadium.
Messi came on as a substitute in the second half and stole the show with a rapid-fire hat-trick, netting three goals between the 78th and 89th minute. This made the 37-year-old the all-time leading goal scorer in the club’s short history – his 33 goals take him past teammate Leonardo Campana’s current total of 32, according to the team.
The win – the squad’s 22nd of the season – pushed Miami’s point total to 74, breaking the MLS record of 73 set by the Revolution in 2021, per the club.
“For the team, it’s a boost of confidence, more confidence,” said head coach Gerardo Martino postgame, via Inter Miami. “As we said before, these 74 points weren’t something planned or a goal we had when the season started, but as it became within reach, we tried to achieve it, and today, we were able to do so.
“The truth is, it’s a victory for all of us who make up the Inter Miami family. It’s hard to make this an individual achievement; I think it’s the triumph of everyone.”
Miami had already secured the league earlier this month, winning the Supporters’ Shield – awarded to the team that tops the MLS standings – for the first time and celebrated with the trophy postgame.
Based on the team’s league success, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced postgame that Miami had earned a spot in the revamped Club World Cup competition in 2025, which is being hosted by the US.
New England entered the game as the 14th seed in the Eastern Conference and already eliminated from postseason contention, but it looked like it was on its way to a significant upset when Luca Langoni and Dylan Borrero gave the Revs a two-goal lead in the first half.
Messi’s former Barça teammate Luis Suárez cut the lead in half with a left-footed strike on the 40-minute mark, before the Uruguayan leveled things up two minutes later with his second of the game and 20th of the season.
The introduction of the Argentinean heavily tipped the scales in Miami’s favor, with the superstar forward involved in the goal that gave the home side the lead. He linked up well with left-back Jordi Alba – another former Blaugrana teammate – who picked out youngster Benjamin Cremaschi in the box to make it 3-2.
From here on out, it was the Messi show. His first goal came after a powerful strike from outside of the box, before adding his second with a close-range finish two minutes later.
Another excellent team goal, assisted by Suárez, gave Messi his hat-trick to cap off the scoring frenzy.
Miami will take on the winner of the Eastern Conference Wild Card match between CF Montréal and Atlanta United on Friday in Game 1 of a best-of-three series, as it seeks a first MLS Cup title in club history.