Lionel Messi: Inter Miami Star Nominated for Two Major League Soccer Awards

• Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets are up for the Most Valuable Player of the Year award
• The two Inter Miami stars turned the fortunes of the club around after joining up in July
• They are not tipped to win given most of their appearances have come in cup competitions

Lionel Messi has been nominated for two Major League Soccer Awards as the regular season nears its conclusion.

Messi's name has been fronted for both the Most Valuable Player of the Year and the Newcomer of the Year awards, despite joining less than three months ago.

The Inter Miami skipper has been nominated despite featuring only four times in the league since joining.

The bulk of his appearances so far in North America have come in the League's Cup and US Open Cup - the former of which he led his side to victory.

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Of the 11 games he has played, he has found the back of the net 11 times, with only one coming in the league. He has a single goal and two assists in the MLS.

Who will Messi face for the MVP award?

As captured on Major League Soccer's website, Messi's teammate, Sergio Busquets has also been nominated for both awards.

MLS clubs are allowed to nominate two players in each category and Inter Miami elected to go for the former Barcelona stars.

In the MVP race, the Athletic reckons Messi will receive competition from reigning holder, Nashville's Hany Mukhtar, St. Louis' goalkeeper Roman Burki, Cincinatti's striker Luciano Acosta, Atlanta's Thiago Almada, and Houston Dynamo's Hector Herrera.

The Newcomer of the Year award is given to a player with previous professional experience who made his MLS debut in 2023.

Voting will open on October 10 and run until October 23, with the current MLS players, coaches, and a select pool of journalists the only ones eligible to vote.

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Can Messi's Inter Miami qualify for playoffs?

Inter Miami's latest defeat, the 4-1 drubbing to Xherdan Shaqiri's Chicago Fire, leaves their chances of making it to the playoffs in tatters.

The Herons have three games left to play, including against table toppers Cincinnati, who they face on Saturday, as Sports Brief reported.

The MLS is divided into two conferences - East and West - where the top seven in each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs.

Inter Miami cannot make it to the first seven. Nashville are currently seventh with 45 points, 12 ahead of the David Beckham-owned side.