Inter Miami, Whitecaps meet in star-studded MLS Cup final

A pair of international stars will be on Major League Soccer's biggest stage when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami host Thomas Muller and the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday in the MLS Cup final at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Both clubs will be chasing their first MLS title, with an opportunity to raise the Philip F. Anschutz trophy.

Messi is all but certain to win a second consecutive MLS MVP after scoring 29 goals and assisting 19 more in the regular season. But Saturday is also the realization of the vision that convinced Messi to make the move to MLS in the summer of 2023.

In addition to a lucrative contract and numerous new American marketing opportunities, joining Inter Miami also has resulted in a club constructed in his own image.

First there were his former FC Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and later Luis Suarez who joined the Herons. Then this summer, Messi's national team colleague Rodrigo De Paul made the move from Atletico Madrid. Promising teenager Mateo Silvetti joined on loan from Newell's Old Boys, Messi's boyhood club in Argentina.

Just before the playoffs began, Messi and Inter Miami announced a three-year contract extension that will see him retire in MLS.

While the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has been exceptional this postseason, with six goals and seven assists in five matches, he admits to a sense of contentment.

"I'm really happy, aren't I?" Messi confided to ESPN Argentina, in Spanish. "Because it's also special to play a final with this club. While we've already won one title, we played another final recently with the new club, so to speak, and now to be able to play in the MLS Cup with everything it means for the club. Spectacular. So, I'm happy."

Miami earned the right to host the final by finishing third in the overall Supporters' Shield standings, two spots above Vancouver. If there is any unfinished business, it comes against the Whitecaps, who dominated Miami in an April CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal.

Vancouver won the matchup 5-1 on aggregate. The Whitecaps also improved their roster considerably since then with the signing of Muller, the Bayern Munich and German national team icon.

Muller's teams, with club or country, have won seven of the eight competitive games against Messi and his teams. They have also met twice in friendlies, with both won by Messi and Argentina.

Muller and Germany not only got the best of Messi and Argentina with a 1-0 victory in the 2014 World Cup final, there also was a meeting in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals when Germany earned a 4-0 victory.

Vancouver attackers Ryan Gauld and Brian White will provide Muller plenty of support Saturday while finally healthy after battling injuries for much of the back half of the season.

Whitecaps manager Jesper Sorensen knows Miami is also better at this stage.

"I think it's a little bit of a more balanced team than the last time we played them," Sorensen said. "But listen, it's the MLS Cup final, and there should be good players going up against you, and you should be up against a very good team."

--Field Level Media