Messi Hat-Trick Guides Inter Miami CF to Road Win over Nashville SC on MLS Decision Day
MLS Inter Miami CF

Messi Hat-Trick Guides Inter Miami CF to Road Win over Nashville SC on MLS Decision Day

Published on October 18, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Inter Miami CF News Release


Inter Miami CF (19W-7L-8D, 65 points) closed out the 2025 regular season in style tonight, securing a resounding 2-5 win on the road over Nashville SC on MLS Decision Day. A hat-trick from captain and Royal Caribbean Icon of the Match Lionel Messi, and goals from midfielders Baltasar Rodríguez and Telasco Segovia guided the team to victory on the night at GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

Notably, Inter Miami reached 81 goals this regular with its five goals in the win and became just the third team in MLS history to produce at least 80 goals in a single regular season. Additionally, with three goals and an assist tonight, Messi finished the 2025 regular season with a total 48 goal contributions (29 goals, 19 assists), the second most in a season in league history only one behind Carlos Vela (49 in 2019).

Lineup Notes

Inter Miami took the pitch with three changes to its lineup from last weekend's victory. Rocco Ríos Novo started in goal; Marcelo Weigandt, Maximiliano Falcón, Gonzalo Luján, and Jordi Alba made up the back four; Rodrigo De Paul and Sergio Busquets started at the base in midfield, with Tadeo Allende, Messi, and Rodríguez playing further ahead; Luis Suárez led the team in attack.

Match Action

Following a start of the match with several important defensive interventions from Inter Miami backline, Messi broke the deadlock in the 35th minute. Messi brought down a pass from Alba near midfield before taking on and leaving several defenders behind and finding the back of the net with a finish to the bottom left corner from outside the box. The goal was Messi's 27th this regular season, while the assist was the 15th for Alba this league campaign.

Nashville then turned the scoring around to head into the half with a 2-1 lead, with Sam Surridge scoring in the 43rd minute and Jacob Shaffelburg in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Messi converted a penalty in the 63rd minute to level the scoring and take his MLS-leading tally to 28 in 2025.

Rodríguez completed the comeback shortly after to give Inter Miami a 2-3 lead in the 67th minute, striking from close range after picking up a loose ball inside the box following an initial attempt from Suárez. The goal was his third this regular season.

Inter Miami then rounded out the impressive result on the road with two goals in the final 10 minutes. First, Messi secured his hat-trick in the 81st minute with a curler to the far post from the right side of the box after a give-and-go with second-half substitute Ian Fray. Messi then assisted Segovia, who also entered the match in the second half, for the midfielder to score from close range in the first minute of added time. With the goal and assist, Messi wrapped up the 2025 regular season with a total 48 goal contributions (29 goals, 19 assists), the second most in a season in league history only one behind Carlos Vela (49 in 2019). Additionally, Segovia reached eight goals, while Fray took his tally to three assists in the league in 2025.

The 2-5 scoreline would then remain unmoved through the final whistle. Inter Miami concluded the regular season in third place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 19 wins, seven losses and eight draws for a total 65 points.

Post-Match Reaction

"The first half was clearly very difficult for us; we lacked intensity. The second half, I think, was completely different. The team started playing higher up the field, took more risks, showed a lot more patience, and not only managed to level the match but also ended up playing a very good game at a very high level," said head coach Javier Mascherano.

Next Up

Next, Inter Miami will begin its Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs campaign facing Nashville SC in the Round One Best-of-3 Series set to be played from Friday, Oct. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 9.

Stats

Possession:

NSH - 41.8%

MIA - 58.3%

Shots:

NSH - 14

MIA - 18

Saves:

NSH - 4

MIA - 5

Corners:

NSH - 6

MIA - 3

Fouls:

NSH - 10

MIA - 7

Check out the Inter Miami CF Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from October 18, 2025


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