INTER Miami CF secured its first MLS Cup on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3–1 in the final as Lionel Messi delivered another decisive performance.
Messi set up two goals, including the 72nd-minute strike by Rodrigo De Paul that broke a 1–1 deadlock. The Argentine star dispossessed a Vancouver player before slipping a tight pass through defenders, allowing De Paul to slot the ball into the far corner.
The title comes two and a half years after Messi’s headline-making move to Miami, a club that was at the bottom of the MLS standings when he arrived midway through the 2023 season. Since then, the franchise has risen rapidly, culminating in Saturday’s championship.
Inter Miami went ahead early when Vancouver conceded an own goal in the eighth minute. Ali Ahmed pulled the Whitecaps level in the 60th, and another Vancouver attempt moments later hit both posts but stayed out.
Messi then set up De Paul’s go-ahead score, followed by a sixth-minute stoppage-time goal from Tadeo Allende — also from a Messi assist — to seal the victory.
The win makes Inter Miami the 16th team in MLS history to capture the title and continues the league’s run of varied champions; eight different clubs have lifted the trophy in the last nine seasons.
The championship also represents a landmark moment for co-owner David Beckham, whose pursuit of a Miami franchise began when he retired in 2013.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” Beckham said.
Messi’s trophy count now stands at 47 for club and country, extending his men’s world record. He has captured at least 21 trophies in one-match finals throughout his career, many alongside longtime teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez, and now Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano.
Busquets and Alba are retiring as champions, while Suárez’s status for next season remains uncertain. Messi, 38, continues to play under a contract that could extend into his early 40s.
“He’s not just here to enjoy living in Miami,” Beckham said. “His wife and the kids love Miami, but he’s come here to win, and that’s really what Leo is all about. He wants to win.”/PN
