A genuine surprise it took this long for Lionel Messi to show up in How We Voted, the column in which I explain my every vote for MLS Player of the Matchday.
It's not been due to some specific anti-Messi stance on my part, there have just been other deserving players for the places on the two-player ballots I've submitted through the North American Soccer Reporters following this MLS season's first 15 rounds of matches.
Matchday 16 unfolded entirely on a Wednesday night and it was a wild one, featuring a whopping 42 goals scored across 13 matches. Shootouts were everywhere, the MLS 360 hosts were kept busy, and it was Inter Miami's Argentine legend who stood out the most, at least in the eyes of this voter. Find out why, and why I chose an Eastern Conference defender with a brace for the second spot on my ballot.
The HRB Ballot, Matchday 16
1. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF
Messi made all the difference in a comfortable win, as he has time and time again throughout his storied career. He scored Miami's first goal in vintage, precise fashion by whipping a left-footed shot in from distance, glancing it off the inside of the post and in.
Then the 37-year-old showed off the chemistry with longtime teammate Luis Suárez by patiently assisting his Uruguayan striker for Miami's second. Finally, Messi put the game to bed by extending Miami's lead to 4-1 after another well-worked combination with Luis Suárez, who reciprocated with an assist of his own as Messi chipped CF Montréal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois to add some flair to his misery.
Messi ➡️ Suarez ➡️ Messi
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 29, 2025
That's a brace for the goal to cement the @InterMiamiCF win. pic.twitter.com/O9yAVKVIeT
Suárez had an excellent game alongside Messi in this win, but Messi gets the nod for simply doing the most to contribute to Miami's big, needed home win over Montréal. The three goal contributions were Messi's most to date in a league match this season, and he also had a season-high 15 touches in the attacking penalty area while being credited with 10 shot-creating actions, per FBref.com's match data.
The performance also meant Messi became Miami's first-ever player to hit 50 goal contributions, giving him 29 goals and 21 assists since arriving, a stat so significant it got called out by Mr. Here We Go himself.
It feels like, maybe only by his standards, that another excellent MLS season from Lionel Messi is flying slightly under the radar? It feels silly to imply anything Messi does "flies under the radar" given who he is and his level of fame in the sport and the global culture, but anecdotally, it feels as though less praise is getting sent Messi's way for continuing to be as insanely good as he's always been. If only Messi the Sporting Director was as good as Messi the Attacker – Miami is still a bit of a mess, but not because of the on-field work from Messi.
2. Kai Wagner, Philadelphia Union
I could have simply voted for Luis Suárez here and made it an all-Miami, all-ex-Barcelona stars ballot. Instead, some praise should go the way of the Philadelphia left-back and former MLS All-Star, because it's rare you see a defender produce the huge attacking moments Wagner provided to get the Union a win in Toronto.
Side note, this feels like picking on the Eastern Conference's two Canadian teams, as Messi's demolition of Montréal got lots of words dedicated to it above this Kai Wagner section all about his handiwork in defeating Toronto. Wagner wasn't quite as lethal at BMO Field as Messi was in South Florida, but he saved the Union after the Eastern Conference leaders fell behind late on in the 75th minute.
That fact adds to Wagner's case for a ballot spot, as his defensive work contributed to what was a tight 0-0 for the majority of the night in Toronto. The offensive side of the German fullback's game came to life after Ola Brynhildsen's goal gave Toronto that 1-0 lead. Wagner delivered a dangerous corner kick that Nathan Harriel headed home to equalize, and then at 90'+2' a dangerous Wagner strike from great distance took a huge deflection and sailed into the back of Sean Johnson's net to give Philadelphia all three points.
Kai Wagner may have just stole all 3 points for the @PhilaUnion! 😤
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 29, 2025
What a comeback. pic.twitter.com/lNDGadJQZI
Dramatic stuff and it means the Union remain at the top of that Eastern Conference table for another Matchday. Wagner has long been one of the best attacking fullbacks in MLS and this game was another reminder of his quality, though it only earned him runner-up status in terms of this ballot.
Official Player of the Matchday: Lionel Messi
Messi takes home his first Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honors of the season and the seventh of his MLS career. www.mlssoccer.com/news/inter-m...
— MLS Communications (@mls-pr.bsky.social) May 29, 2025 at 4:06 PM
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Not his first time winning Player of the Matchday as the fine folks from the MLS Communications team point out above, but still a first for him in this up-and-down Miami season. The reigning Supporters' Shield winners are still only in 6th Place in the Eastern Conference, yet the win over Montréal snapped a four-match MLS winless rut for Miami. It's not like Messi's Player of the Matchday performance fixed everything for Miami and head coach Javier Mascherano – the Herons have still conceded 15 goals in their last five MLS matches – but 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Messi is at least in great form on the cusp of his team heading off to participate in the 2026 FIFA Club World Cup.
Official MLS Team of the Matchday
Starters: Stefan Frei (SEA) - Jimer Fory (POR), Nathan Harriel (PHI), Kai Wagner (PHI) - Lionel Messi (MIA), Alexey Miranchuk (ATL), Hany Mukhtar (NSH), Antony (POR) - Gabriel Segal (HOU), Luis Suárez (MIA), Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (RBNY)
Coach: Ben Olsen (HOU)
Bench: Earl Edwards Jr. (SJ), Sebastien Ibeagha (DAL), Femi Awodesu (HOU), Bartosz Slisz (ATL), David Da Costa (POR), Gabriel Pirani (DC), Jesús Ferreira (SEA), Sam Surridge (NSH), Diego Rubio (ATX)
Nothing but legends in the attacking line-up for this Team of the Matchday: Messi, Suárez, Hany Mukhtar, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting...and Gabe Segal. The former New York City FC striker gets a place in the Starting XI after picking up a brace against his old team as part of Houston's 3-0 thumping of NYCFC at Yankee Stadium, while Ben Olsen gets named coach and Houston defender Femi Awodesu earns a place on the bench for his role in keeping the clean sheet. Revenge games feel increasingly real for NYCFC in MLS this season, and Segal delivered one to remember. Portland Timbers FC are also well-represented in this squad after their 2-1 win over Colorado Rapids, with three players named in this squad, so this Team of the Matchday leans in the Western Conference's favor.
