Messi Tops MLS Scoring Chart After Nashville Draw

Lionel Messi scored in the 62nd minute against Nashville on 2026-09-12, but Inter Miami let a 2:1 lead slip in stoppage time as Sam Surridge's second goal of the night made it 2:2.

The finish took Messi's tally to 19 for the MLS season, one clear of Dallas Forward Petar Musa on 18. Messi struck a low shot into the left corner from 17 metres. He then missed two clear chances to settle it, hitting the post from a follow-up and rounding the goalkeeper only to find a defender after Germán Berterame had set him up almost one on one. He also put a free-kick against the crossbar.

Musa kept pace with an assist of his own, in Dallas's 2:1 win over Portland, and sits second in the scoring list. Sam Surridge and New York City FC defender Nicolás Mercau, who has scored four penalties, share third place with 15 goals each.

Messi has now scored or assisted in seven straight matches, with six goals and four assists over that run. He leads the MLS assist chart too, with 11, giving him 19 goals and 11 assists in 22 appearances this season.

It was Inter Miami's third draw in a row. Luis Suarez missed his one real chance, blazing over after a Messi pass with the score at 2:1, and Rodrigo De Paul struck the post in the fourth minute of stoppage time when a third goal would have won it.

Inter Miami are second in the table on 44 points from 24 matches, with Messi (18 before this round), Suárez (12) and Berterame (7) their leading scorers heading into the game. The result follows Messi's announcement earlier this month that he is retiring from the Argentina national team, after which the AFA said it would pause all matches nationwide in the 10th minute for a round of applause in his honour.