Lionel Messi has brought the third piece of silverware to Inter Miami as his assist on Rodrigo De Paul’s winning goal led the Herons to a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps to lift the MLS Cup for the first time in club history. The Herons went ahead early via an own goal by Vancouver right back Edier Ocampo, but they responded to Vancouver’s pressure to get an eventual winner in front of their home fans at Chase Stadium.
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham spoke about those changes following the match.
“You could see the change, and we started to control the ball a little bit more in midfield, and you know, you give the ball to Leo, he creates chances whether he’s scoring them or creating them, but the team stuck together, and they’ve done that all year,” Beckham said on the broadcast.
It’s a victory that means everything, with it being the last match of the careers of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, while also being the close of Chase Stadium for the Herons, with Miami Freedom Park set to open next season. Goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo was strong in the net, making three saves, and Tadeo Allende closed things out, setting a record with his ninth goal of the postseason.
Javier Mascherano changed the team in his first season in charge of the Herons, bringing Rios Novo and Mateo Silvetti into the lineup, but Miami’s stars were also the difference in a match where Vancouver gave them everything that they could handle. While Mascherano had a storied career as a player, it’s the first of what could be many trophies as a head coach for the Argentine manager. He also got to send off his former teammates in Busquets and Alba in the best way possible on top of the league.
Messi’s performance earned him the MLS Cup MVP award as he’s been in strong form during these playoffs with 15 goal contributions, scoring six goals and assisting nine more (including secondary assists). With goal contributions in eight straight games to close out the season, Messi was on a mission and delivered time and time again. His embrace with Beckham during the celebrations following the match showed some of the emotion of what this means.
Miami were expected to win everything in their path, and while there were hiccups along the way, these playoffs showed what the Herons can do in the biggest moments to cap the season off with a trophy. They’ll need to reload ahead of next season, but co-owner Jorge Mas assured that they’ll do that while moving into their new stadium. Messi has already extended his contract to be along for the ride, and players like Silvetti will have a large role in what happens next for the Herons.
This season was one that showed that the future is bright for Miami, but also for the league. Vancouver got a star of their own in Thomas Muller and were able to go toe to toe with Miami for most of the match, while Los Angeles FC have stars of their own. With spending increasing around the league, more will need to be done to keep up as the Herons are setting a new standard of what kind of star power can be brought to the team, and others around will need to keep up in order to stop Miami from going back-to-back. MLS needs a villain similar to the role played by the Los Angeles Dodgers in baseball, and if they can continue on this path, Miami just may take up that role.
