Sun Oct 20 01:38:15 UTC 2024: **Summary of Key Points:**

– **Historic Achievement**: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami set a new Major League Soccer (MLS) record with 74 points in a regular season, breaking the previous record of 73 points held by the New England Revolution.

– **Messi’s Performance**: Messi scored his first hat trick for Inter Miami in a match against the New England Revolution, contributing significantly to the team’s 6-2 victory. He entered the game in the 58th minute and quickly made an impact.

– **Match Highlights**:
– Messi assisted Benjamin Cremaschi shortly after coming on, helping to take the lead.
– He scored twice in quick succession (78th and 81 minutes) before completing his hat trick in the 89th minute.
– Luis Suarez also starred for Miami, scoring twice within three minutes during the first half.

– **Match Context**:
– The game was notable for its back-and-forth nature, as New England initially led 2-0 with goals from Luca Langoni and Dylan Borrero.
– A potential tying goal from New England’s Bobby Wood was disallowed after video review.

– **Playoff Outlook**: Inter Miami’s next match is the MLS Cup Playoffs, starting on October 25 against the winner of a wild-card game between CF Montreal and Atlanta United.

– **International Highlights**: Messi’s hat trick comes after he scored three goals and provided two assists for Argentina in a World Cup qualifying match against Bolivia just days earlier. Despite strong performances, Messi has not yet committed to participating in the next World Cup.

– **MLS Decision Day**: The final day of the regular MLS season saw two more teams qualify for the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, while playoff seeding for the entire Western Conference remains to be determined after Saturday’s matches.

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