On Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2:30 p.m., Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will face off in the MLS Cup at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is both the host’s and away side’s first ever appearance in the MLS championship game in their respective club histories.
Before eight-time Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner Lionel Messi shocked the sports world by signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with Inter Miami worth $150 million, this team was at rock bottom of the MLS table with 11 consecutive matches without a win and no trophies to their name. Now, the Herons are competing for their first league title, hoping to add to their historic run with Messi’s contribution at the forefront of their success.
“We have made a fantastic playoff run and are very deserving of reaching the final,” Inter Miami winger Mateo Silvetti said.
That run featured an opening round series win over Nashville SC, a dominant shutout in the semifinal against FC Cincinnati and another resounding win over New York City FC in the Eastern Conference final. As a team, Miami scored the most goals during the regular season with 81 (2.38 per game). Their goal scoring ability has been on display this postseason, outscoring opponents 17 to three.
“We still have one more step to go… Champions of the Eastern Conference, but the MLS Cup final remains for us,” Messi wrote on his Instagram account.
On the other end of the matchup are the Whitecaps who finished second in the west, behind San Diego FC who they defeated by a score of 3-1 in the Western Conference final on Saturday, Nov. 29.
The summer signing that made headlines, similar to Messi, was the acquisition of German forward Thomas Müller who also has an extensive list of accolades. He played for Bayern Munich and his national team, winning 33 major trophies with the club and the World Cup in 2014.
“When I came to Vancouver, I wanted to be very successful with the Whitecaps, and since then, it’s been like a Cinderella story, and I am trying to keep on dancing like Cinderella,” Müller said.
The last time these two teams met was back in April in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal where the Whitecaps blanked Miami 2-0 the first match and came back to win 3-1 the second time around too, advancing to the final against Cruz Azul in June.
There is all to play for in the 2025 MLS Cup where both teams are on the hunt for glory. Fans around the world are in for a thriller with legends on both ends of the field who can carve up magic throughout the contest.
