{
  "id": 3961036,
  "title": "Lionel Messi could make MLS history in 2026 as Miami star named among MVP favourites",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/lionel-messi-could-make-mls-history-in-2026-as-miami-star-named-among",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-28T12:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lionel-messi-could-mls-history-123000879.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former soccer player Sacha Kljestan has predicted Lionel Messi as one of the top contenders for this year's MLS MVP award. Kljestan, at present, has Messi leading his top-five list, with the Argentine ahead of fellow No. 10, Evander. Kljestan mentioned Messi's recent contributions, with 14 goals and nine assists this year, which have helped Inter Miami climb higher in the standings. Despite some struggles, Inter Miami remains a strong contender for the MLS Cup. Should Messi win the MVP award for a third time in 2026, he would become the first player in MLS history to achieve this feat.",
  "summary": "Former soccer player Sacha Kljestan has backed Lionel Messi to be among the favourites for this year’s MLS MVP award. Ahead of the weekend’s action getting underway, Messi already has 14 goals and nine assists to his name this year.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former soccer player Sacha Kljestan predicts Lionel Messi as top MVP contender.",
    "Messi leads top-five list with 14 goals and nine assists this year.",
    "Messi winning MVP third time in 2026 would make him first in MLS history."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}