Bradley Wright-Phillips believes Lionel Messi is set to sweep the Golden Boot and MVP awards again, potentially completing a historic three-peat in the process. Lionel Messi continues to be the driving force behind Inter Miami’s season, and according to New York Red Bull legend Bradley Wright-Phillips, the Argentine is well on track to complete a historic three-peat as MLS MVP. The New York Red Bulls’ all-time leading scorer made his case in an interview with Deporte Total USA, leaving little doubt about where he stands. “I’ve made the mistake of writing off Messi and saying, you know, maybe someone else will win it. Impossible. He wins the Golden Boot easily. If he wants on a day, he can just score three or four goals. It’s very hard to compete with that,” he said, before adding on the MVP race: “The man’s just too good. He’s one of my favourite players ever. Yeah, he’s going to win it all“. Should Messi claim MVP for a third straight year, he would become the first player in league history to complete such a run, adding to an already crowded trophy case that includes back-to-back honors in 2024 and 2025, at a time when he sits tied atop the Golden Boot standings with Petar Musa on 18 goals apiece, in the race for a third scoring title. A strong finish from Inter Miami as a team could only help Messi’s case further. The Herons currently sit third in the Supporters’ Shield race with 44 points, nine behind leaders Nashville SC, while also remaining firmly in the mix to defend their MLS Cup title as the postseason approaches. Bradley Wright-Phillips sobre Lionel Messi:"Messi va a ganar el premio al MVP, es demasiado bueno. Es el goat, uno de los mejores de la historia y mi favorito"También lo apunta como campeón de goleo.#InterMiamiCF #Messi pic.twitter.com/3TUQgrtTb3— José Armando (@Jarm21) September 11, 2026 Wright-Phillips sees Evander as a strong MVP candidate too Wright-Phillips did make room for one alternative name in the MVP conversation, even if he ultimately settled on Messi. “Earlier in the season, I was rooting for Evander because I think he’s a very special player. I think Leo Messi being in the league has, you know, hindered his shot,” he said of the FC Cincinnati playmaker. He went on to suggest that, in a different landscape, the race might have gone the other way. “If Messi’s not here, Evander probably wins two in a row, but Messi wins MVP too,” Wright-Phillips said, underscoring just how difficult it has become for anyone else to break through while Messi remains in the league. Even with that acknowledgement, Wright-Phillips made clear his prediction wasn’t close. Evander’s case may be real, but as long as Messi keeps producing at this level, the rest of the league’s biggest individual honors appear destined to run through Inter Miami’s captain once again.
The Palace boss criticised the pair's work ethic and said they needed to be 'shaken' when explaining the decision to leave them out of the 3-2 win against Fulham.
The latest round of club action provided more encouraging signs from the USA’s top young talent. Zavier Gozo, Cavan Sullivan and Justin Ellis are among the players making their mark as the USA looks ahead to the 2027 U-20 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games. And if their progress continues, some may be knocking on the senior […] The post U.S. youth prospects progress in Europe; several play superbly in MLS appeared first on Soccer America.
BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Saturday's match between Crystal Palace and Ipswich (15:00 BST), with newly promoted Town hoping to avoid a third consecutive defeat. Crystal Palace earned their first Premier League win under Pierre Sage by beating Fulham 3-2 last weekend, but the head coach was notably magnanimous afterwards, admitting he was "disappointed for the other team and the coach, they had opportunities too". Sage stressed Boro were "a really good team", adding: "I want to congratulate them – the score is for us, but they played well."
Ipswich Town left-back Leif Davis, who has started in each of the club's first three Premier League games, has been speaking to the media before Saturday's fixture against Crystal Palace (15:00 BST). "It has been perfect for me," he replied when asked about linking back up with Gary O'Neil, having worked under him while on loan at Bournemouth.
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