Inter Miami drops three-goal lead to draw with Charlotte
The second-seeded East Coast squad finishes the regular season with 60 points after a late collapse at the Nu Stadium.
By Tomas Gonzalez ·
Inter Miami surrendered a three-goal first-half advantage to draw 3-3 with Charlotte in the final match of the regular season. The result concluded the 2026 campaign for the squad, which finished with 60 points. Lionel Messi, who did not score in the match, completed the year with 26 goals. He is positioned to become the first player in Major League Soccer history to win the Golden Boot in consecutive seasons.
Miami controlled the early stages of the match at the Nu Stadium. Ian Fray opened the scoring in the 14th minute following a corner kick. Luis Suarez added a second goal in the 33rd minute after Germán Berterame deflected a Messi corner toward the goal. Rodrigo De Paul extended the lead to 3-0 in the 42nd minute with a shot from outside the penalty area. Charlotte began its immediate response in the second half. Liel Abada scored in the 50th and 55th minutes. Rodolfo Aloko equalized in the 90th minute by capitalizing on a rebound after Tyger Smalls struck the ball off the post.
This marks the second time this season that Miami has relinquished a 3-0 lead at home. The previous occurrence was on May 2, when Orlando City recovered to win 4-3. The draw was sufficient for Miami to secure the second seed in the Eastern Conference. New England Revolution, which finished in third place, lost 1-0 to Orlando in the same round of games.
Nashville SC broke the Major League Soccer single-season point record by defeating Cincinnati 2-0. The win brought Nashville to 77 points, surpassing the previous mark of 74 set by Miami in 2024. Nashville had already secured the Supporters' Shield, the award given to the top regular-season team, prior to the match.
The playoffs begin on November 20. Miami will host the first leg of its best-of-three first-round series against Columbus Crew. Columbus earned the fourth seed in the East after a 4-3 victory over Chicago Fire. Gonzalo Tapia scored twice for Columbus, while Brasi Méndez added a goal in stoppage time. Orlando City holds the third seed after Braian Ojeda scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over New England. Philadelphia Union advanced with a 4-1 win over Toronto. New York Red Bulls beat Atlanta United 3-0, and New York City FC defeated D.C. United 1-0.
In the Western Conference, Vancouver Whitecaps secured the top seed with a 2-0 win over Montreal. The victory brought Vancouver to 64 points, finishing as the second-best team in the league overall.
