MIAMI — In a storybook ending to his already remarkable first full MLS season, Lionel Messi scored a hat trick over the span of 11 minutes after coming off the bench in the second half to lead Inter Miami to a 6-2 win over the New England Revolution in the regular season finale on Saturday.

He electrified the Chase Stadium home crowd with a performance worthy of his trademark Marvel superhero celebrations and likely cemented the league MVP award with his 20th goal in 19 games. With the win, Inter Miami broke the MLS record with 74 points for the season, bettering the mark of 73 that was held by the Revolution.

Miami had already secured the Supporters’ Shield for MLS best record (22 wins, four losses, eight ties) and kicks off the playoffs at home Oct. 25 as the top seed, which guarantees home field advantage through all rounds.

Miami’s first-round opponent will be the winner of the Tuesday wild-card game between Atlanta United and CF Montreal. The first round is a best-of-three series and after that all playoff games are single elimination.

After the game, the team celebrated the victory and its Supporters’ Shield trophy with a ceremony on the field as pink smoke filled the air, confetti fell from the sky and pink fireworks lit up the night. Players ran a victory lap around the field and tossed shirts into the stands to thank their fans.

Team co-owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas congratulated the team and fans. FIFA President Gianni Infantino then took the stage to announce that Inter Miami had been granted a spot in the 2025 Club World Cup and will open the 32-team tournament at Hard Rock Stadium on June 15.

“This gives our team an injection of confidence,” said coach Tata Martino, a finalist for MLS Coach of the Year. “These 74 points is not something we aimed for at the start of the year, but as soon as it was within reach, we tried to get it and we did it. For me, personally, I feel pride to be part of this group, the coaching staff, all the people who work with us day to day and sacrifice. It’s a triumph for the whole Inter Miami family.”

Messi’s hat trick Saturday was his second over the past five days. The 37-year-old icon scored three goals and assisted on two more for the Argentine national team in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. He has scored 59 hat tricks over his illustrious career.

Messi watched from the bench in the first half as his Inter Miami teammate and close friend Luis Suarez scored a pair of goals in the span of three minutes to rally the home team and send them into halftime knotted 2-2 with the Revolution.

Then, in the 57th minute, the Chase Stadium crowd erupted as the Argentine captain entered the field. He gave them more than their money’s worth. He scored his first goal of the night in the 78th minute, a left footed shot from outside the box off an assist from Luis Suarez. Three minutes later, he scored again with another blast from his left foot after receiving a through ball from Jordi Alba.

But he wasn’t done. In the 89th minute, Suarez made an acrobatic cross from the right side of the box to Messi, who put it away with his trusty left foot.

“After the serious injury he suffered in the Copa America, we had to be very careful with Leo in his recovery and re-entry to training,” Martino said of Messi. “We and the Argentina national team both were cautious with him...we saw in the Bolivia game he was looser and more in rhythm, and [Saturday] his first touch was a pass to Jordi Alba that led to the [Cremaschi] goal. The feeling I have now is that we have him in the ideal situation to face the most important part of the season.”

Suarez, the 37-year-old Uruguayan forward, continues to impress, despite his aching knees, as he brought his season total to 20 goals, three shy of Golden Boot leader Christian Benteke of D.C. United. Suarez said Friday that he would like to return to Inter Miami for a second season and confirmed that his agent is in talks with the club about extending his contract, which expires in December.

He certainly showed on Saturday that he has not lost a step.

His first goal came at the 40-minute mark, when he collected a cross from David Martinez and left-footed a shot form the center of the box to the bottom left corner. His second came three minutes later, a powerful blast with his right foot off a pass from Yannick Bright.

He electrified the Chase Stadium crowd, which was deflated and had begun chanting “Messi! Messi!” after the Revolution took a 2-0 lead..

The Revolution stunned the crowd with a goal by Luca Langoni in the second minute to put the visitors up 1-0, and Dylan Borrero doubled the lead at the 34-minute mark after a rare blunder by Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender, who let the ball go between his legs.

Langoni got behind Miami center back Martinez, who perhaps was a bit rusty, as he returned to the lineup after missing several games with a groin injury. Martinez redeemed himself with the assist to Suarez.

Messi came off the bench, as coach Tata Martino wanted to give him some rest after returning from national team duty and wanted to make sure he is in peak form for the start of the playoffs.

Midfielder Diego Gomez was on the bench after playing for Paraguay during the FIFA break. Otherwise, the rest of the regular starters were in the lineup. Callender started at goalkeeper; Chelo Weigandt, Jordi Alba, Martinez, and Tomas Aviles started on the back line; Bright, Sergio Busquets, Julian Gressel, Robert Taylor and Cremaschi were the midfielders; and Suarez started at forward.

Also on the bench with Messi and Gomez were Leo Campana, Ian Fray, Sergiy Kryvtsov, Noah Allen, Franco Negri, Lawson Sunderland and Cole Jensen.

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