Miami's win, in their final game of the regular season, took them to 74 points - one more than the previous record, set by New England in 2021. Messi, who came off the bench in the 58th minute and led the late flurry of goals, has now scored 20 goals in 19 appearances in MLS with his former Barcelona team-mate Suarez also notching 20 from 27 games. The challenge of breaking the record added some spice to the final game of the regular season with Inter having already secured the Supporters' Shield for the best record in the regular season to stamp themselves clear favourites in the MLS Cup playoffs which start next week.

Miami had trailed 2-0 before Suarez scored twice before half-time to send Gerardo Martino's team in level at the interval. Goals from Argentine Luca Langoni and Colombian Dylan Borrero in the 34th minute had the home crowd chanting for Messi's introduction from the bench but it was Uruguayan Suarez who began the comeback. A firm left-foot finish from the former Liverpool and Barcelona striker, pulled one back, after good work from David Martinez. Then Suarez levelled with a fine solo finish, making space for himself and switching to his right foot before drilling home.

Messi, who had scored a hat-trick for Argentina against Bolivia on Tuesday, came off the bench in the 58th minute and immediately helped put the team ahead finding Jordi Alba who set up Benjamin Cremaschi for a tap-in. New England thought they had drawn level with a goal from striker Bobby Wood but the effort was disallowed for handball following a VAR review.

Messi then made it 4-2, collecting a back-heeled pass from Suarez before brilliantly blasting into the far bottom corner. The Argentine was on target again when he latched on to a superb pass from Jordi Alba and made no mistake and then he completed his hat-trick in the 89th minute when he met a volleyed cross from Suarez with a precise first time finish. Messi's three goals came within an 11-minute spell and after his two month injury absence after the Copa America he now looks back to his best.

- 'ideal situation' -

"I have the feeling that we have him in an ideal situation to face the most important part of the year," said Martino. At the post-game celebration of the Supporters Shield success, club co-owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas were joined by FIFA president Gianni Infantino who announced that the Shield had earned the team a place in the 2025 Club World Cup.

Elsewhere in the last round of the regular season in MLS, Montreal clinched a place in the playoffs with a 2-0 win over New York City. The victory secured eighth place in the Eastern Conference and the Canadian side will play ninth-placed Atlanta United in the wildcard round on Tuesday for a chance to play Miami in the first round. Atlanta took the final spot in the East with a 2-1 win at Orlando City.

There was a thrilling finale to the regular season in the Western Conference with the two Los Angeles clubs locked in battle for top spot and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. LAFC left the field thinking their 3-1 win over San Jose was enough to have secured the top seed with LA Galaxy losing 1-0 to Houston. But a stoppage time penalty, converted by Gabriel Pec, looked to have secured LA Galaxy the point they needed to secure first place and left LAFC fans, in California, watching on their phones desolate.

But then in the 11th minute of stoppage time, Houston grabbed a dramatic winner with a header from Daniel Steres against his former club, meaning that LAFC snatched top seed on goal difference - by a single goal. LAFC will face the winner of the wildcard game between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Portland Timbers while the Galaxy will host the Colorado Rapids in the first round.

October 20, 2024

B. Cremaschi

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