On a magical night in front of their fans, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami thrashed New York City 5–1 on Saturday and advanced to the first MLS (Major League Soccer) final in club history, where they will face the Vancouver Whitecaps of German star Thomas Müller. The Canadian side, who beat San Diego FC 3–1 in the Western Conference final, and Miami, champions of the East, will clash next Saturday for the title at Inter’s home stadium.
Argentine forward Tadeo Allende was the hero of Miami’s qualification with a hat trick, while his young compatriot Mateo Silvetti and Venezuelan Telasco Segovia rounded out the five-goal haul. The win was celebrated in style by nearly 22,000 fans in Fort Lauderdale, on the outskirts of Miami, where special guests such as Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz also shone. Alcaraz handed Messi the Eastern Conference champions trophy.
“It’s the game we dreamed of at the start of the season, a final at home in front of our people,” said head coach Javier Mascherano.
Allende hat trick
In just their sixth season of existence, Inter now have a chance to fulfill their promise to dominate North American soccer, a promise born with the high-profile signing of Messi in mid-2023. Inter let a second Leagues Cup title slip away in August, losing the final to the Seattle Sounders, but unexpectedly hit their best form at the tail end of this grueling campaign, scoring 30 goals in eight games since October.
Messi, the main architect of this scoring explosion, ceded the spotlight for once on Saturday to his attacking partners, especially Tadeo Allende. The Córdoba-born striker reached eight goals in five playoff games, tying the record for a single postseason held by Guatemalan forward Carlos Ruiz since 2002.
Allende’s hat trick began when he ran onto a pass from Sergio Busquets from inside Miami’s own half and finished with a powerful right-footed shot in the 14th minute. The second goal also came from the Spanish midfielder’s vision. Busquets took a quick free kick after a brief dust-up between Messi and his compatriot Maxi Moralez. Jordi Alba received the ball on the left flank and sent in a cross to the New York area, where Allende (23′) headed it into the top corner.
Busquets and Alba chase a final title
The atmosphere at Chase Stadium was euphoric when the visitors pulled one back with an unstoppable header from American Justin Haak (37′). New York City seemed poised to spring another upset like last week’s against the Philadelphia Union, the best team of the regular season.
In the 66th minute, Argentine goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo kept Inter in front with a save from a Julián Fernández effort, and a minute later Silvetti scored the hosts’ insurance goal after a cutback from Messi inside the box.
The stands went into full-on delirium when Segovia (83′) scored the fourth after a brilliant back-heel from Alba, and Allende (89′) completed the rout on another blistering counterattack.
Vancouver brings San Diego back down to earth
With this victory, Alba and Busquets will have the opportunity to bid farewell to football while fighting for one last trophy. Facing them will be an old foe, Thomas Müller, who landed in MLS in August to lead the Whitecaps. The former Bayern Munich playmaker has fought many battles against these ex-Barcelona players and also against Messi himself, including Germany’s win over Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final.
“I enjoy watching Messi, but Miami are a very strong team,” Müller stressed. “It’s a great final. I wanted this final and here it is.” Vancouver, the surprise package of the MLS season, won comfortably in San Diego with a brace from American Brian White (8′, 45+2′) and an own goal by Mexican goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega (11′).
Mexican winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, who once again started on the bench, pulled one back for the Californians in the 60th minute with a shot from outside the area that deflected off a defender. For San Diego, the Western Conference leaders in the regular season, it was a painful end to their dream of winning the title in their inaugural MLS campaign.
