
MLS commissioner Don Garber boldly claimed that Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi has “reset the trajectory” of the league. By some metrics, Messi’s arrival has coincided with a downward trend.
Garber struck a confident tone as he presented the Argentine captain with his Golden Boot award after 29 goals in the regular MLS season on Friday night. Messi promptly added two more to his tally during a 3–1 victory over Nashville SC in the opening tie of Inter Miami’s best-of-three Round One playoff series.