Inter_miami_-_asn_top_-_2025_mls_cup_champions
MLS Cup 2025

MLS Cup lookback: Miami continues brilliant final 2 months to topple Vancouver

The 2025 MLS season ended with Inter Miami downing Vancouver 3-1 in a well-played final between two good teams. Vancouver was very good and well coached, but in the end it was Miami had the edge in talent - and luck
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
December 08, 2025
9:00 AM

THE 2025 MLS SEASON CONCLUDED on Saturday with Inter Miami defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in MLS Cup. It wasn’t a final that was filled with drama but it was a well-played final that featured two teams worthy of contending to be the best in the league. Ultimately, the most talented team defeated the best-coached team.

Lionel Messi did not score in MLS Cup, nor the Eastern Conference final the week before, but he was the best player on the field – assisting Rodrigo De Paul on the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute and then Talendo Allende in stoppage time for the final two goals.

After Miami took an early lead after an own goal from Edier Ocampo that came as a result of a counterattack initiated by Messi, De Paul, and Allende.

But as Vancouver fell behind, they also improved and were on the front towards the end of the first half. They equalized in the 60th via Ali Ahmed after he was set up by Brian White with strong hold-up play.

Minutes later, Emmanuel Sabbi hit two posts on a single shot that would have put Vancouver ahead. Shortly after that, Miami took the lead for good.

Here are some big picture thoughts on it all.

 

Messi Experiment narrative changes in 9 games

 

Messi arrived in the league with tremendous publicity and fanfare. It put a spotlight on the league far more than ever before. In the two years since, however, Inter Miami’s losses were more defining than their wins. The 2023 Leagues Cup win was nice as was the win over Porto in the Club World Cup, but the losses the opening round of the playoffs to Atlanta in 2024, the Champions Cup loss to Monterrey in 2024, the Champions Cup loss to Vancouver in 2025, and the Leagues Cup final loss to Seattle in 2025 defined the narrative.

That all changed with this win. Messi along with Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez were brought into Miami to conquer MLS. It took longer than expected, but ultimately the delivered.

Miami both won and entertained. The team scored 81 goals this season, 13 better than the next highest scoring team in Chicago.

But what will also define this team is not simply the final, but rather the final nine games of the season – which included the stretch run of the regular season and the postseason. This is when MLS games become more meaningful, more intense, more dramatic. This is also when great players show why they are great. Ever since MLS introduced the Designated Player rule, the playoffs have been defined by DP players. Regular season can be defined by issues such as which teams have the most depth, or which teams are in the best form. But the typically postseason comes down to DPs because great players thrive in bigger games.

The final nine games saw Miami raise its level to a place where no team could match. In that span the team scored 33 goals and conceded just 8.

One of the common causes for skepticism over the Messi Experiment was how well could Messi, Busquets, Alba, and, to a lesser extent, Suarez, hold up over a long season at their respective ages?

But the answer showed that these players always had more fuel in the tank and it was always in their natural state to play better when more was on the line. Busquets and Alba were also motivated knowing these were the final games of their careers.

 

What changed for Miami?

 

Earlier in the season, Inter Miami was crushed by Vancouver 5-1 across two legs in the semifinal of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Since then, both teams made significant additions. Over the summer, Rodrigo De Paul joined Miami while Thomas Muller joined Vancouver. Vancouver was also boosted by the return of Ryan Gauld from injury.

But Inter Miami’s style of play was a night/day difference.

The biggest reason for Miami’s improvement is simply that other players on Miami raised their game to the point it wasn’t a one-man show anymore. Allende and Matteo Silvetti scored big goals down the stretch. The addition of De Paul proved to be enormous. Messi was still the team’s best player, but he was able to combine and play with his teammates better.

When Javier Mascherano removed Suarez from the starting XI down the stretch, Miami as a collective improved. The result was that it was simply too much for any other team to stop.

 

What’s next for Miami?

 

Messi will be back next year as he inked his extension this year. He will be heavily motivated at the start of the season by the coming World Cup. He has been trying to extend his career through that. But what will it be like for him once that tournament is over?

Alba and Busquets are now retired. Suarez could also follow suit. That alone guts a big portion of the team’s supporting cast. Inter Miami ownership has said that they are close to deals with new players – including a designated player. There is no doubt that the ownership group will spend.

But money is only part of the equation. If Atlanta United taught us one thing this season it is that money can be spent very poorly. With a salary cap and limited designated player spots available, poor investments can doom a team.

In other words, what happened for Miami worked in 2025. It might not work in 2026.

 

Vancouver looks ahead

 

The Vancouver Whitecaps should hold their head high. If they had won this game, they would have been worthy champions. If Sabbi’s shot in the second half had gone in and given them a 2-1 lead, we might be talking about a very different result.

Vancouver made the most of a bad situation to start the year. The club was for sale and the team’s best player, Ryan Gauld, suffered a serious injury in early March.

But the club is surely ecstatic of the job Jesper Sorensen has done this year as the head coach. The Danish manager has coached several players up and helped them to reach their potential.

Sebastian Berhalter is arguably the player who thrived the most under Sorensen and Berhalter now has his foot in the door of the U.S. national team.

Vancouver has many of the same issues other teams face in terms of keeping the core group of players together. Will Berhalter and Ahmed push for moves abroad? How will Muller continue to age?

Big picture, the Whitecap’s relationship with the city is most important. Will the team be successful pushing for its own stadium? Can the fan base become big enough to where the ownership group or potential new owners do not push to relocate?

This season will have been a huge net positive if the team can continue to grow in its popularity and prominence in Vancouver. The team was one of the most fun teams to watch in MLS this season. It would be great for all involved if they can grow.

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