FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Thomas Mueller knows exactly what it's like to face Lionel Messi with a trophy on the line.
And he knows what it takes to win in such moments.
The 2025 MLS Cup final – Messi and Inter Miami against Muller and the Vancouver Whitecaps – will draw several comparisons from a personnel perspective to the 2014 World Cup final and the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals between Argentina and Germany.
Germany won both times with Müller. Messi played in those matches for Argentina, as did Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano. They will all meet again on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, and Mueller will surely know that facing Messi does not mean automatic defeat.
“This is not about Messi versus Thomas Muller,” he told reporters after Vancouver's 3-1 win over San Diego in the Western Conference final on Saturday night. “It's Miami vs Whitecaps.”
He then added, “Maybe they rely on him a little more than we rely on me because we're such a good group.”
What Messi thinks of the match – he has faced Muller 10 times in various competitions and his side have won just three of them – remains a mystery and is likely to remain so. Inter Miami rarely gives interviews to Messi.
What is known, however, is that Messi arrived at Inter Miami in mid-2023 with the goal of winning the MLS Cup, which seemed far-fetched at the time given that they were bottom of the league when he joined. Victory on Saturday would have completed his task and capped a season in which Messi also won the MLS Golden Boot as top scorer – plus, more than likely, a second consecutive league MVP award.
“Even though he's the best ever… it's not fair to think he's going to win every game,” Mascherano said after Inter Miami's 5-1 win over New York City FC in the Eastern Conference final on Saturday night. “Everyone has stepped up their level.”
Not that Messi or Muller needed Saturday's victory to gain any vindication. Their resumes and legacies have long been cemented: both are World Cup winners, both are Champions League winners, both are Club World Cup winners.
But like Messi, Muller came to MLS – he joined Vancouver four months ago – looking for a league title to add to the list. The chance has arrived.
“I love watching him,” Mueller said in an Apple TV interview after Vancouver's win on Saturday night. “I feel like Miami is a very strong team. We saw them beat New York very badly. This is a big final. I dreamed about this final. And here it is. I think it's great for everyone.”
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AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer
