Lionel Messi scored twice as Inter Miami beat the defending Major League Soccer (MLS) champions the Columbus Crew 3-2 to clinch the Supporters' Shield awarded for the best regular season record.
Messi had been subdued until the 45th minute when he put Inter ahead -- chesting down a long ball into the box and getting a lucky bounce off Crew defender Malte Amundsen before poking home.
Minutes later, Messi made it 2-0, taking advantage of a poorly assembled wall to curl a laser-precision free-kick into the corner past the stationary Columbus keeper Patrick Schulte.
The champions of MLS is determined by the winner of the MLS Cup playoffs -- where Eastern Conference rivals the Crew and Miami could meet again.
