Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has challenged Major League Soccer to relax its rules on spending in pursuit of wider growth across the league.

The higher seed are home for the first and — if necessary — third games of the series.The winners advance to the conference semifinals, with that round joining the conference final and MLS Cup Final as single-elimination matches at the home of the higher seed.

Despite the amazing performances, Messi managed to lose out on an award to LAFC's Son Heung-Min. The South Korean forward joined LAFC in the summer and is considered one of the best players in the league as well.

Messi was named a finalist for the MVP award Thursday along with Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga, San Diego’s Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC), Cincinnati’s Evander and Nashville’s Sam Surridge. The award is expected to be handed out before the MLS Cup final on Dec. 6.

Messi magic in Game One! 💥 What a start for @InterMiamiCF. // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/6ugOORVHGT Miami were able to ride that goal to a halftime lead, which put them 45 minutes closer to defeating Nashville SC in this best-of-three series,