Lionel Messi hailed a "beautiful, emotional moment' after his brace of assists secured a first-ever MLS Cup title for Inter Miami after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Saturday.
The victory completes a dramatic turnaround for a club that was languishing in the MLS basement when the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner arrived in Miami as the biggest signing in league history in July 2023, reports ESPN.
It was the 44th senior title for Messi, who was named the MLS Cup MVP. It was also his third with Miami, having helped the team to the Leagues Cup in 2023 and Supporters' Shield in 2024. MLS Cup, though, is the biggest trophy so far for a club that launched with the backing of David Beckham in 2020.
"A beautiful, emotional moment for us, for the people of Miami, to be able to achieve the MLS objective," Messi told the media.
"It's a very new club, so to speak. When we played before, we were lucky enough to win a title, but this was the real objective, to win MLS and be at the top of the American league, and luckily we achieved it.:
"We were fortunate to play at home, a huge joy for the people, so we have to enjoy it."
At a packed Chase Stadium in South Florida, the home side took an early lead thanks to an own goal scored by Vancouver's Édier Ocampo in the eighth minute. Forced by a shot from Miami's Tadeo Allende, the ball deflected off Ocampo and past Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.
Despite the instant advantage for Miami, and some scrappy plays that led to regaining possession, the Whitecaps gradually took charge in the remainder of the first half.
With captain and Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller pulling plenty of the strings, the visitors were proactive in the final third before the halftime whistle. Following the midway break, Vancouver's relentless pressure found an even higher gear. In the second half, head coach Jesper Sørensen pushed his team further up the field, leading to a goal from Ali Ahmed in the 60th minute that tied the score at 1.
At first appearing to be a straightforward save, Ahmed's shot took an unexpected late bounce that snuck its way beyond the fingertips of Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo.
The narrative of the plucky underdogs coming into town and stealing the spotlight appeared to be set. That is, until the biggest star on the pitch took over in the second half. Messi, cleverly stealing the ball in the opposition's half in the 71st minute, then made a dangerous pass to a sprinting De Paul.
With just the goalkeeper to beat, Messi's fellow Argentine international slotted his shot with ease into Vancouver's net to put the home side decisively in front.
With chants of "Messi! Messi!" ringing throughout Chase Stadium, the crowd seemed to know how the match would play out.
Vancouver, eager to at least send the game into extra time, continued its pressing in the dying minutes but was left with nothing to show. Instead, it was Messi, again.
Adding salt to the wounds of the visitors, Messi provided an assist for Allende in the 96th minute to make it 3-1 and spark wild celebrations all around Chase Stadium, not least from first-year coach Javier Mascherano.
"I'm very happy for him," Mascherano said. "I'm very happy because of the season that he played. ... For him it was very, very special and very important to win this trophy. He came here to win this trophy."
It was Messi's 15th goal contribution of this year's playoffs, a record for a single MLS postseason, and provided a record ninth goal of these playoffs for Allende.
The final whistle blew following a final touch of Sergio Busquets' career, with the midfielder joining teammate and fellow former Barcelona legend Jordi Alba in retiring following Saturday's game.
It was also the culmination of a 12-year odyssey for Beckham, part of Inter Miami's ownership group.
He retired as a player in 2013, and his MLS contract said he could start a franchise at a discounted rate when his career ended. Beckham chose Miami, and it took him years to finally make it happen. It wasn't until January 2018 when the franchise was formally born after he partnered with Miami businessmen Jorge Mas and Jose Mas, and even then the team didn't have a stadium plan.
Now Inter Miami becomes the 16th franchise in the league's 30-year history to win an MLS title. This extends a run of parity for MLS, which has seen five different franchises win championships in the past five years and eight franchises claim a title in the past nine seasons -- only Columbus has won twice in that span.
"It's been an incredible journey," Beckham said.
And the 38-year-old Messi, the 2024 MLS MVP who seems like a lock to win the award again this season, still is like none other in the biggest moments with a contract that could have him playing with Miami into his early 40s. When next season starts, the team will be playing in a new stadium near Miami International Airport with a back-to-back title in mind.
"He's not just here to enjoy living in Miami," Beckham said. "His wife and the kids love Miami, but he's come here to win, and that's really what Leo is all about. He wants to win. He's got that dedication, the loyalty that he shows to his teammates, to the city, to the club. Leo is a winner. It's simple as that."
Bd-pratidin English/TR
