Inter Miami 3-1 Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS Cup Final: Messi Leads Herons To Maiden Trophy At Chase Stadium

Lionel Messi arrived in Major League Soccer with nothing left to prove – a FIFA World Cup champion, a serial winner, widely regarded as the greatest footballer ever to play the sport. He did not need an MLS Cup. Yet on a raucous night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, he secured one anyway.

Inter Miami clinched the first championship in the club’s young history, defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 to cap their remarkable rise under the Argentine icon.

The achievement comes two and a half years after Messi stunned the sporting world by relocating to South Florida from Paris Saint-Germain and transforming a last-place side into the league’s dominant force.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber summed up the moment during the post-match ceremony. “They said soccer would never make it in America,” he declared, addressing the pink-and-black wall of supporters. “Inter Miami fans, has soccer made it?”

Messi gave them the answer on the pitch. With the match level, he produced the decisive play in the 72nd minute, stealing possession and threading a precise pass through a dense cluster of Vancouver defenders. Rodrigo De Paul took it in stride and rolled the ball into the far corner before Messi leapt into his arms in celebration.

The Whitecaps had equalised earlier in the 60th minute through Ali Ahmed, shortly after an early own goal by Edier Ocampo had put Miami ahead eight minutes in.

Vancouver nearly seized the lead two minutes after their equaliser when a driven effort from Emmanuel Sabbi struck both posts and somehow stayed out. It proved to be a decisive turning point as Miami regained control, and Messi dictated the play from there.

As the minutes slipped away, Chase Stadium vibrated with noise. Most supporters wore Messi’s No. 10, and with every touch, chants swelled. Fittingly, the final word once again belonged to him. Deep into stoppage time, he slipped another telling pass into the path of Tadeo Allende, who finished in the sixth added minute to seal the victory.

Historic Night For Miami And Messi

Inter Miami become the 16th club to win an MLS title, adding their name to a run of league parity that has produced five different champions in the last five years and eight in the previous nine.

For co-owner David Beckham, the triumph closed a long personal journey that began with his MLS contract clause in 2013 and eventually led to the franchise’s launch in 2018.

Messi’s arrival in 2023 altered everything. Miami were bottom of the league when he signed; since then, he has accumulated silverware at a record-setting pace.

This MLS Cup is the 47th trophy of his career for club and country – or the 48th, depending on how one counts MLS conference titles – and extends an astonishing tally of victories in one-off finals.

Several of Messi’s former Barcelona teammates celebrated with him: Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, both retiring as champions; Luis Suarez, whose future remains undecided; and Javier Mascherano, now Miami’s head coach, who reshaped the side mid-season with this very night in mind.

Messi ‘Here To Win’ For Inter Miami

Messi, at 38, remains the league’s defining force, the reigning MLS MVP and the favourite to retain the award. His contract could keep him in Miami into his early 40s, and when next season begins, the club will move into a new stadium near Miami International Airport with ambitions of defending their title.

“He’s not just here to enjoy living in Miami,” Beckham said. “He’s come here to win. Leo is a winner. It’s as simple as that.”

When the final whistle sounded, Messi walked toward the Inter Miami supporters, raised both arms and saluted a fanbase transformed by his presence. Confetti fell, fireworks thundered, and a moment years in the making finally belonged to South Florida.

(With AP Inputs)