Lionel Messi will seek to complete his transformative impact on Major League Soccer by guiding Inter Miami to their first-ever domestic title on Saturday, facing a surging Vancouver Whitecaps in a high-stakes MLS Cup final.
Two years after his arrival in Florida, Messi has revolutionized the landscape of MLS, and he now stands on the cusp of delivering the championship Miami has long sought since joining the league as an expansion team in 2020. Following a challenging start to the season, the 38-year-old Argentine superstar has orchestrated a dazzling playoff run, with Inter Miami netting 17 goals in just five games.
Opposing Messi is a formidable Vancouver squad led by German World Cup winner Thomas Müller, whose arrival in August has added significant firepower to the Whitecaps’ attack. Saturday’s clash will feature four World Cup-winning players—Messi, Müller, Inter Miami’s Sergio Busquets, and Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul—turning Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale into what has been described as a “marketing dream” MLS Cup final.
Müller, however, downplayed the narrative of a personal duel with Messi, emphasizing the team aspect of the showdown. “It’s not about Messi against Thomas Müller,” he said after Vancouver’s 3-1 victory over San Diego in the Western Conference final. “It’s Miami against the Whitecaps.”
Inter Miami’s appearance in the final seemed improbable just eight months ago. Under Javier Mascherano, the team won only two of their first eight games, struggling for energy and cohesion. That stretch included a 5-1 aggregate defeat to Vancouver in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, with analysts criticizing the side as lacking defensive stability and balance.
The team has since undergone a dramatic transformation. The acquisition of Rodrigo De Paul has added steel and mobility to the midfield, while Mascherano’s decision to bench veteran Luis Suárez in favor of 19-year-old Mateo Silvetti injected fresh pace and energy into the attack.
Despite Miami’s resurgence, Whitecaps coach Jesper Sorensen refused to place undue emphasis on Vancouver’s back-to-back wins over Miami in April, insisting that past results would not dictate Saturday’s blockbuster MLS Cup final.
This highly anticipated encounter not only represents a chance for Messi to claim his first MLS title but also pits two of the league’s most star-studded sides against each other in what promises to be a memorable finale.
