Nashville Leads Inter Miami 2-1 at Halftime

At Geodis Park on Decision Day, Lionel Messi scored a left-footed goal in the 34th minute—reported as his 27th of the season—but Nashville SC led 2–1 at halftime after goals from Sam Surridge and Jacob Shaffelburg. Nashville dominated the first half and forced several big saves from Inter Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo that kept the scoreline from being more lopsided. Messi remained the frontrunner for the MLS Golden Boot and a strong candidate for back-to-back MVPs, holding tiebreaker advantages in assists and minutes played. Nashville had already clinched a playoff berth, but its final seed was still in flux; a win could raise it as high as fourth while a loss could drop it to eighth. Sam Surridge remained a close challenger in the league scoring race.