Lionel Messi Hits Hattrick as Inter Miami Set MLS Points Record With Thumping Win Over New England Revolution

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Lionel Messi scored a hattrick as Inter Miami came from two goals down to thump New England Revolution 6-2 and in the process also set a record for most points registered in Major League Soccer (MLS) season.

Having already sealed the Supporters' Shield, Inter Miami finished their regular season with 74 points, one better than previous MLS points record holders New England Revolution, who had garnered 73 points at the end of the 2021 season.

In a dazzling display on Saturday (October 19) night, Messi scored three and assisted another after coming on as a substitute for the final 35 minutes of the match.

It was his good friend, Luis Suarez, who started Inter Miami's comeback with a brace in the closing stages of the opening half after Luca Langoni and Dylan Borrero had put New England 2-0 up inside 34 minutes.

Benjamin Cremaschi gave Inter Miami the lead in the 58th minute before Messi did his magic with a second treble of the week, carrying on from his hattrick for Argentina against Bolivia, to wrap up his club team's season with a record-breaking 74 points.

With a league record of 22 wins, 4 losses, and 8 draws, Inter Miami finished the season with a remarkable winning percentage of .765, bettering the record of .750, which had been set by (24-8) and the LA Galaxy (24-8) in 1998, LAFC (21-4-9) in 2019, and New England (22-5-7) in 2021.

Additionally, Inter Miami became the eighth team in MLS history to complete a regular season with only four losses, tying another significant record. The talisman also recorded 36 goal contributions during the MLS season.

Messi also concluded the regular season with an impressive 20 goals and 16 assists across 19 matches. Suarez also shined in his inaugural MLS season, reaching the 20-goal milestone.

In addition, the FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced after Inter Miami's thumping win that the first match of the FIFA Club World Cup next year will be precisely in Miami, at the Hard Rock Stadium.

Messi and Inter Miami will now prepare for the MLS Cup playoffs which start next week. The Eastern Conference winners Inter Miami will face the winner of the wildcard match between Atlanta United and CF Montreal in a three-match series in round one.