A brace of assists from Lionel Messi secured Inter Miami’s first-ever MLS Cup title with a 3-1 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
This triumph completes a dramatic turnaround for the club, which was at the bottom of the league table when the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner arrived in Miami in July 2023 as the most expensive signing in MLS history.
Inter Miami, the Eastern Conference champions, took the lead after just eight minutes with an own goal by Eder Campo.
Vancouver Whitecaps, the Western Conference champions, equalized in the 60th minute through Ali Ahmed.
In the 71st minute, former Atlético Madrid star Rodrigo De Paul put Inter Miami ahead. Taddeo Allende added a third goal in stoppage time (90+6) after two assists from Messi.
This was Messi’s 44th career title and his third with Inter Miami, having helped the team win the League Cup in 2023 and the Fan Shield in 2024. But the MLS Cup is the biggest title the club has won to date, a club that was launched with the backing of David Beckham in 2020.
Inter Miami became the 16th club in the league’s 30-year history to win the MLS Cup.
This victory further highlights the league’s competitiveness, which has seen five different clubs win the championship in the last five years, and eight different clubs win the title in the last nine seasons – Columbus Crews being the only team to have won it twice in that period.
