Inter Miami defeated Thomas Müller's Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the MLS final to claim the club's first championship. Lionel Messi and his teammates won with an own goal, a strike from Rodrigo de Paul, and a late goal by Tadeo Allende. Vancouver suffered a bitter loss despite equalizing midway through.
The final took place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pitting stars Lionel Messi against Thomas Müller. The two legends had faced off eleven times before, with Müller winning eight, including the 2010 World Cup quarterfinal and a 2020 Champions League match. This time, Messi prevailed.
Vancouver started poorly: Defender Édier Ocampo scored an own goal in the 8th minute, giving Inter Miami a 1-0 lead. Coach Jesper Sørensen admitted: »That was not the start we had imagined.« Despite dominating the first half, Vancouver missed chances, such as those from Emmanuel Sabbi and Müller himself.
In the second half, Ali Ahmed equalized in the 60th minute. Vancouver pressed, but an error by Adrián Cubas in the 71st minute led to Messi's lofted pass to Rodrigo de Paul, who made it 2-1. Tadeo Allende sealed the 3-1 win shortly before the end with an assist from Messi.
For Inter Miami, which joined the MLS in 2020 and is co-owned by David Beckham, this is the first title. Beckham said: »We promised the fans that we would bring the best players and thus success. Next year it continues, but today we celebrate.« It was the farewell game for Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, who were applauded off. Müller must wait for his next trophy.