Messi, Inter Miami chase elusive MLS Cup trophy Saturday vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
A tantalizing MLS Cup Final, with an unprecedented four World Cup champions on the field, is exactly what soccer icon David Beckham dreamed of when he announced 11 years ago that he was launching a team in Miami.
It is also what Beckham and his Inter Miami co-owners Jorge and Jose Mas had in mind when they splurged and shocked the world by signing eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi in the summer of 2023 and his three FC Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez in the months that followed.
Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, their cozy temporary home for one last MLS game, Inter Miami aims to beat the Vancouver Whitecaps and win the trophy that has eluded the league’s most glamorous team.
Last year, Miami topped the standings all season only to be bounced in the first round of the playoffs. Saturday, the team can redeem itself.
Although Miami is scoring at a torrid pace during the playoffs, outscoring its past three opponents 13-1, it will not be an easy match.
Standing between Miami and the trophy is an outstanding Vancouver Whitecaps team that routed Messi and his teammates 5-1 over two Concacaf Champions Cup matches in April and added German legend Thomas Muller over the summer.
“We’ve reached our goal of playing the final for this beautiful trophy,” said Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano, also a former teammate of Messi’s with Barcelona and the Argentine national team. “We have to try to continue in the same vein that has brought us this far. The team’s morale, the atmosphere, is excellent.
“The players have shown the strength to overcome the tough moments they experienced during the season. This is a great reward for the hard work we’ve put in all year as a group. The main event is on Saturday. It will be a matter of whether we have the desire to seize it or not. I hope we wake up with a real hunger to win.”
He added that having four World Cup winners on the field (Messi, Busquets, Muller and Rodrigo DePaul) is good for the league and for soccer in America.
Miami defender Maxi Falcon added that the team managed to reach the finish line despite the wear and tear of playing 57 games, more than any other team in the league.
“We are in a good place, we have to repeat what we’ve been doing the past few games,” he said. “It will be an entertaining match. I hope the fans enjoy it. We have Leo, Sergio, Jordi, but I have seen Vancouver, and they’re a very tough team. There are no favorites. Names don’t matter. Whichever team makes fewer mistakes will win.”
The game will be shown on Apple TV, FOX and FOX Deportes. Here are storylines to watch:
Messi vs. Muller
The Argentine and German legends have faced each other 10 times for club or country. Muller’s team has won seven of those encounters, including the 2014 World Cup Final and an 8-2 trouncing of Barcelona that was the club’s worst loss in more than half a century. Muller’s German team also crushed Messi and Argentina 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup.
“Hopefully, this time the coin can flip in our favor,” Mascherano said.
Adios Busi and Jordi
MLS Cup will be the final game for Busquets, 37, and Alba, 36, who announced in September plans to retire at the end of the season. Alba and Busquets won 19 trophies as teammates and would like to make it 20.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play in many finals, but I think this one is also special because of everything it represents; it’s going to be my last match ever,” he said. “I hope I can leave with positive sensations, having won the title.”
Falcon said the whole team wants to win for the Spanish legends, and has been joking around with them all week about it being their final Tuesday, final Wednesday, etc..
“I am 28 years old, and you want to play a long time, you never imagine that the day will come when you will not train again…it is something they has done their whole lives, as Jordi said, something he dreamed of as a kid. It was an honor to be their teammate, even if just for one year. I always followed them with Barcelona. We have to enjoy them and hope they take away beautiful memories.”
First-year coaches
Mascherano, 41, and Whitecaps coach Jesper Sørensen 52, are in first-year MLS coaches. Mascherano had never coached a professional team before taking this job last January. His only coaching experience was with the Argentine youth national teams. Sørensen was successful in the Danish Superliga, but was fired by Brøndby IF before taking the Vancouver job in January.
Allende on Fire
Inter Miami’s Tadeo Allende enters MLS Cup Final on a tear. He has scored eight playoff goals, tying Carlos Ruiz for most in a single postseason. The Argentine attacker is on loan from Spanish club Celta de Vigo and the loan ends this weekend. Reports out of Argentina say River Plate is interested in him, but a source told the Herald that Inter Miami is working hard to sign him to a contract.
Suarez’s changing role
Uruguayan superstar Luis Suarez, the 38-year-old forward, was relegated to the bench the past two games after serving a suspension during the first-round series against Nashville. His replacement, 19-year-old Mateo Silvetti, has brought speed and a new dynamic to the team playing alongside Messi. In the three games Silvetti started, Inter Miami outscored opponents 13-1.
In an interview with the Miami Herald this week, Suarez spoke about how he handled being benched.
“The game against Cincinnati was a tactical decision, and you understand that perfectly,” he said. “You understand the characteristics the coach needs against certain opponents, and you try to show the most positive attitude you can for the group. Because when someone is in a bad mood or angry, it’s not good for the group. And being one of the bigger players on the team, I can’t do that.
“The [NYCFC] game, for me, was a little different situation. We played at home in a game I would have liked to have played more time because I know I am capable, and I have demonstrated that I can play more than the eight minutes I got to play. But that’s the coach’s decision and I have to accept it with no problem and try to do things better to play more minutes. Also, you have to applaud and see how well the team is playing and when a team is playing so well, with a great dynamic, we have to celebrate that as a group.”
Suarez, whose contract expires this month, has not said whether he plans to seek a new contract or retire.
Last MLS match at Chase Stadium
Saturday will most likely be the final MLS game at Chase Stadium. Inter Miami’s new 25,000-seat Miami Freedom Park stadium is scheduled to host its first league game on April 4, 2026 against Austin FC. Inter Miami will play five road games to open the season in case there are construction delays.
Berhalter’s Breakthrough
One of the standout Vancouver players has been Sebastian Berhalter, the 24-year-old son of former U.S. national team player and coach Gregg Berhalter. The younger Berhalter has been a key member of the Whitecaps team, emerging as a team leader, and also has made his mark with the U.S. national team heading into the 2026 World Cup.
Former U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard praised Berhalter on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast, suggesting he will not be afraid of Messi or the big stage:
“I think he’s the type of son of a gun to say, ‘Alright then. I’ll have a bit of you, Leo’. I know it sounds crazy. And I’m not saying Sebastian Berhalter is a better player. But if you know his dad, Gregg is crazy. We were teammates, and when Gregg Berhalter played, he didn’t care. He was like, ‘Give me the matchup and I’ll kick the lumps out of you. And I’ll figure this out.’ Sebastian’s got that in his DNA…He’s a little rat and he wants to get under people’s skin. Shout out to Sebastian. I’m excited for it.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 8:04 PM.