Lionel Messi checked into the match early in the second half, the score was tied and Inter Miami’s chances of breaking a pair of Major League Soccer regular season records were very uncertain.
In that moment it all changed.
Messi had three goals – his first hat trick in MLS – and an assist in the span of about 30 minutes, Luis Suarez scored twice and Inter Miami rolled past New England 6-2 on Saturday night, setting MLS records for most points and the best win rate . Inter Miami finished with 74 points, one more than New England in its record-setting 2021 season.
Best player ever. Best MLS record ever. A perfect match.
“This night is for you,” Inter Miami principal owner Jorge Mas said after the match, as the team celebrated the Supporters’ Shield – which it won on the road at Columbus earlier this month – in a ceremony in front of the home fans. ‘The best fans in the world.’
Lionel Messi scored a stunning 11-minute hat-trick for Inter Miami on Saturday evening
The party would happen anyway. Messi made it even more special.
Going 22-4-8 in league play, Inter Miami finished the season with a winning percentage of .765, setting another MLS record.
Four teams – DC United (24-8) and LA Galaxy (24-8) in 1998, LAFC (21-4-9) in 2019 and New England (22-5-7) in 2021 – had an MLS season behind them the back with a winning percentage of .750, which was the best until Saturday night.
Now the first place belongs to Inter Miami, both in terms of points and in terms of best won-lost-drawn score.
Inter Miami also became the eighth team in MLS history to get through a regular season with just four losses, tying another record.
“It is our players who have made this season successful,” said Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham. “Our captain led us. Our players have led us in times of difficulty.
‘But now, tonight we’re celebrating. Tomorrow we will prepare for Friday, the play-offs.’
Messi scored three goals – his first hat trick in MLS – and an assist in the space of about 30 minutes
David Beckham paid tribute to the team as they set the MLS regular season points record
Beckham also turned the focus straight to this season’s MLS playoffs, which begin next week
Suarez and Messi finished with 20 goals each, the first MLS teammates to reach that milestone in the same season. It was Messi’s first hat-trick for Inter Miami, the team the Argentine superstar joined midway through the 2023 season in a huge win for MLS.
If all that wasn’t enough, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said after the match that Inter Miami would – as widely expected – be present at the Club World Cup next summer as the host nation’s representative. The tournament starts on June 15, 2025 in Miami Gardens and Inter Miami will play the first match.
Messi finished the regular season with 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 games. Suarez scored 20 goals in his first MLS season. His two goals on Saturday, about three minutes apart, helped Inter Miami erase an early 2-0 deficit.