As the confetti flew, the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy was raised in the air, and the player considered the greatest to ever kick a ball celebrated the 48th title of his professional career, it was almost impossible to believe that there were some doubts at some points. Serious doubts. Questions, big and small, about this Inter Miami the team, their manager and almost all the players in the squad except Lionel Messi.
Consider them answered. The Herons were crowned MLS Cup champions after beating the team 3-1. Vancouver Whitecaps in the final game at his temporary home, Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They will open their new Miami Freedom Park stadium next year as champions and face a high bar to rise to the top in a turbulent 2025 that has seen them play 58 games – an MLS record for the most games played by a team in a calendar year – and lift five separate trophies.
However, this is exactly what they wanted. Against a terrific Vancouver Whitecaps team, who were the better team for most of the evening, this MLS The cup was won through small, everyday sublime moments combined with less picturesque moments that proved decisive. And although Messi was the initiator of all three goals, the first two were scored thanks to his greater influence on the team created especially for him.
Vancouver's own goal opened the scoring thanks to one of those minor moments of Messi magic. Vancouver tied the game in the second half after a poor save from Ali Ahmed's shot off the post. And Messi's Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul, a mid-season signing from Atletico Madrid, scored the title-clinching goal in the 71st minute after an unfortunate turnover of otherwise excellent Whitecaps midfielder Andres Cubas.
Tadeo Allende's stoppage-time goal after another brilliant pass from Messi put all doubts to rest. The on-loan Celta Vigo player calmly finished past Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka as head coach Javier Mascherano ran onto the pitch, kissed the grass and celebrated as if he was a player again.
It was not difficult to predict that Messi would be responsible for the breakthrough moments whenever they came. But it was impossible to predict that the first of these moments would occur behind the midfield strip; not in the space he usually created at the center of chaos, but as a momentarily peripheral figure, on the right touchline between the benches. The ball immediately arrived at Messi's feet, and within seconds Vancouver's trio of defenders collapsed in his possession, sensing an opportunity to take advantage of a moment of indecision, as they had successfully done at so many other points in the game.
This time it didn't work. Messi sidestepped one defender, separated two others with the rest, escaped danger and sent a perfect ball straight into the feet of Mateo Silvetti, who flicked the ball one-touch to Tadeo Allende. Allende had time and space and a well-thought-out move would deservedly end with a brilliant goal. Instead, there was a disaster in Vancouver. Allende's cross fell to center back Ralph Priso, who was unlucky enough to put the ball into his own net.
In the middle of the day, in the typically sweltering Florida heat and humidity, examples of this contrast—the lyrical coupled with the jarring—were numerous, with an abundance of symbolism that could be wrested from anyone desperate enough for metaphor. Beneath the temporary bleacher-like rigs installed after Messi's acquisition, old American stadium classics Dippin' Dots could be found along with $45 shrimp skewers or $55 lobster tails. Celebrities such as Whitecaps minority owner and former NBA superstar Steve Nash milled around the modest venue, right among the autograph-seekers and selfie-seekers. It appears that only Messi's family and members of the Inter Miami team are completely isolated from the extremely passionate crowds from all walks of life that have filled this arena since Messi's arrival in 2023.
This crowd had reason to be desperate after the first game in Miami. Vancouver dominated most of the first half, maintaining possession, fending off Miami's attacks in key areas and creating scoring chances that were simply missed or blocked by the Miami defense. Emmanuel Sabbi in particular was energetic, constantly finding space behind Jordi Alba, who, like Sergio Busquets, was playing in his last professional game. Unfortunately for the several hundred Whitecaps fans who made the longest road trip in MLS, Sabbi struggled to find the end product.
Vancouver finally made all that work worthwhile in the 60th minute. Brian White did well to tackle Maximiliano Falcon, turning to find striker Ahmed streaking behind Miami right-back Ian Frey into the box. Ahmed's shot at the post was supposed to be saved by Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo – and he put his hand to it, but the ball slipped through his palm, hanging in the air for what seemed like an eternity, and got stuck in the net.
The Whitecaps' decisive moment could have come just two minutes later. Sabby cut into the heart of the defence, brushing aside defenders and ignoring passing opportunities in favor of testing Rios Novo. His shot beat the goalkeeper but ricocheted off one post before bouncing over the line and hitting the other post. Falcon blocked subsequent efforts; an extraordinary moment.
Throughout this period, Messi partnered with Vancouver midfielder Andres Cubas, one of Vancouver's best players during this difficult year, who consistently displayed excellent steely defensive play, skillful distribution and positioning. Cubas, Messi's common enemy in the World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay, has spoken out in response. We've seen moments like this before – moments when the typically mild-mannered Messi becomes enraged by slights – perceived or not. This often determines the course of the game.
It was the same today. Ten minutes after the equalizer, a rare hesitant moment from Cubas in midfield led to Messi sneaking in and winning the ball off the Paraguayan's foot. He played in De Paul's team that beat Takaoka brilliantly in the 71st minute. Ahmed had been injured just minutes earlier, and Vancouver was desperate without one of their most dangerous forwards and best playoff players. Allende's breakaway goal, itself the result of an assist from Messi, sent Chase Stadium into delirium, waving pink towels as if bidding farewell to the new stadium in South Florida's historic professional soccer venue.
September 8, 2001 – 24 years, three months and what seemed like at least a world ago, the Miami Fusion won their first and only MLS Supporters' Shield title with a 3-1 win over DC United at Lockhart Stadium. It was the first trophy won by a soccer team playing on the field since the 1977 NASL title won by the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The match was interrupted by an epic downpour that soaked the field, which still had football lines on it after being used as a facility for the Florida Atlantic Owls football team. Fusion's coach was Ray Hudson, who still lived nearby and was now firmly established as the voice of many of Messi's highlights in the US. The hall with a capacity of 17,000 people was half full. David Beckham was still six years away from arriving and even further away from owning Inter Miami, the team that plays in the stadium Lockhart demolished to accommodate it. A few months after winning the Shield, the Fusion were dead – victims of the decline of another MLS era.
Today, the place said goodbye to a new era of soccer – the most vibrant in the league's history and perhaps the most indicative of what could come next for MLS as it enters a new reality with a fall-spring schedule and presumably greater involvement in the international transfer market that could bring more players like De Paul to the field. Chase Stadium has yet to see its last performance – it will remain home to the club's reserve team and will presumably have other uses.
For now, however, everything remains with the trophy, confetti and hot pink towels left on the functional, ugly steel stands.
