Lionel Messi recorded a hat-trick and added an assist, while Baltasar Rodriguez scored the tie-breaking goal as visiting Inter Miami used a second-half assault to defeat Nashville SC 5-2 in a Decision Day matchup on Saturday night.

Telasco Segovia also scored for Inter Miami (19-7-8, 65 points), who won their third straight game. Miami will be the No 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and faces a rematch with No 6 Nashville in the first round.

Sam Surridge and Jacob Shaffelburg scored goals for Nashville (16-12-6, 54 points), which did not allow a shot over the first 34 minutes before being badly exposed in the second half.

Messi was a clear winner in the 2025 MLS Golden Boot race, finishing the regular season with 29 goals. Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga (24 goals) and Surridge

See Full Page