With three goals created by Lionel Messi, Inter Miami were crowned champions of Major League Soccer (MLS) for the first time, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3–1 in Saturday’s final. The young and ambitious franchise, co-owned by David Beckham, enjoyed its dream night in front of its home crowd at Chase Stadium, where Spaniards Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba bowed out with one last trophy under their arms.
“I’m happy because this was an important goal for us, to be MLS champions and celebrate it at home with the people of Miami,” Messi said. The victory caps the rise of a team that, when Messi arrived in mid-2023, was rooted to the bottom of the table and didn’t have a single trophy in its cabinet.
At 38, Messi expanded the most spectacular individual honors list in football by winning a league title in a third country, after lifting 10 La Liga trophies with Barcelona and two Ligue 1 crowns with Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine star was already dominating MLS individually, with the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award and the Golden Boot, and his unique talent continues to make the difference just six months out from the World Cup, where he has yet to confirm if he will play.
On Saturday he didn’t need to score to be named MVP of the final and to settle some unfinished business with German forward Thomas Müller, now the leader of Vancouver and a member of the Germany team that beat Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final. After just eight minutes, Messi left two rivals behind in midfield with a brilliant slalom run that sparked the move leading to Inter’s first goal, ultimately turned into his own net by Colombian defender Édier Ocampo.
The Whitecaps struggled to absorb the blow but equalized through a shot from Canadian Ali Ahmed in the 60th minute and could have gone ahead shortly after on a wild sequence that saw them hit the woodwork three times. But Vancouver let Inter off the hook, and Messi made them pay in the 71st minute, stealing the ball from Paraguayan Andrés Cubas and threading a pass through for the second goal, finished by his compatriot Rodrigo De Paul, Miami’s latest signing.
Golden farewell for Busi and Alba
Inter’s stadium, where they hosted the final thanks to their better regular-season record, erupted when Messi produced another moment of magic with a spectacular assist for fellow Argentine Tadeo Allende in the 90+6 minute. The clinching goal unleashed emotions on the field and all around it, where Beckham watched the match on his feet with his wife Victoria trying to calm him down.
“There were many sleepless nights, but I always believed,” the Englishman recalled afterward, having pushed for the creation of the franchise in MLS in 2020 after his spell as a star with LA Galaxy. “I always believed in bringing a team here and, when I found the right partners, I knew everything was possible,” he said.
After Allende’s goal, head coach Javier Mascherano sprinted over to hug Jordi Alba, who had started the move by winning back the ball. The Argentine coach showered his former Barcelona teammate with kisses as they embraced emotionally on the pitch. “This title couldn’t slip away from us, not in front of our fans, our families, in the last game for Jordi and Busi,” said the man known as El Jefecito, who has now been crowned champion in his first season as a club manager.
“It’s a strange feeling, it was the last match with the tension of a final and of leaving through the front door,” said the left-back later, closing his career with 23 trophies at age 36. “I’m very happy with what we’ve achieved, I feel very fulfilled,” added Busquets, a 2010 World Cup winner with Spain and collector of 36 titles.
Among the giants of the Americas
The planned retirement of the Spanish greats and the uncertainty over the future of Uruguayan Luis Suárez, once again on the bench and without a single minute, made this final Inter Miami’s last chance to be crowned with the so-called Fantastic Four together on the roster.
After their arrival, Inter won the 2023 Leagues Cup but had not added another trophy since. This year the club came up empty in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the Club World Cup and the Leagues Cup, where they lost a heated final that ended in a mass brawl. “We did it. There’s no better way for them to retire than celebrating, winning another title,” Messi said about his long-time teammates in this North American adventure. “Obviously I’m going to miss them a lot.”
This triumph will allow Inter to open its new stadium next year as MLS champions, a status that does not satisfy the ambitions of the owners or of Messi himself. “The important thing is for this club to be among the giants of the Americas, to be able to compete in every competition,” stressed the Rosario native, who has just committed to wearing pink until 2028.
