Hugo Cuypers' exit opens the door for Lionel Messi in MLS Golden Boot race | OneFootball

Only one day has passed since Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup final, at the time of writing this article.

However, MLS never stops moving, with new signings and surprise departures continuing across the league.

We recently covered the departure of Hugo Cuypers, the player who had been leading the MLS Golden Boot race.

While his exit is largely tied to Chicago Fire's recent signing of Robert Lewandowski, it also has major implications for players like Lionel Messi and Petar Musa, who were trailing the Belgian striker in the race for the award.

Cuypers' departure opens the door for Lionel Messi or Petar Musa to win the MLS Golden Boot

It didn't take a genius to realize the advantage Chicago Fire was giving away by making this move. Before his departure, Hugo Cuypers led the MLS Golden Boot race with 13 goals, just one ahead of both Petar Musa and Lionel Messi, who each had 12.

However, Cuypers' recent transfer to Monterrey has completely changed the race, leaving the Croatian striker and the Argentine superstar with a clear opportunity to climb into first place.

Both players also head back to MLS after scoring at the World Cup, giving them the kind of momentum that could prove crucial in the race for the Golden Boot.

As if the race wasn't exciting enough already, both Inter Miami and FC Dallas currently sit in playoff positions, meaning they'll likely have even more matches ahead in which Messi and Musa can add to their goal totals.

That said, it's worth noting that Musa previously expressed his desire to return to Europe after the World Cup.

If that happens, just like Cuypers, his departure would leave Lionel Messi with a clear path to win the MLS Golden Boot once again.

Right now, MLS is just getting underway with the second half of its regular season.

Only a handful of matches have been played since the league resumed, meaning there's still a long way to go before the Golden Boot race is decided.

It's also worth mentioning that, while not impossible, it's unlikely Messi will feature against the Chicago Fire this Wednesday.

After all, he played 120 minutes in the World Cup final less than five days ago. At 39 years old, recovery naturally takes longer than it does for a younger player.

With this being said, not only does Musa have a clear shot at winning the MLS Golden Boot, but if he is also transferred, nobody could stop Messi from winning it again.

But we’ll see; the only certain thing is that this race will be interesting.