Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are just a win away from their first MLS Cup title in history, and at 38 years old, the Argentine soccer superstar shows no signs of slowing down.
The Herons will host the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup Final on Saturday as they look to secure a trophy to end the season on a high note.
Here’s everything you need to know about the MLS Cup Final between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
How to watch Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
Inter Miami will face off against Vancouver on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 2:30 p.m. ET at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
If Miami and Vancouver fans are unable to attend the game in person, they can watch it either on FOX or stream it on Apple TV with the MLS Season Pass.
Age is just a number for Lionel Messi
Even at his age, Messi was by far the best player in MLS this season.
According to CBS Sports, he currently leads the league in goals with 29 — five more than anyone else — 19 assists (tied with Danish soccer player and San Diego FC right winger Anders Dreyer), and 157 shots. Of those goals, 28 of them were non-penalty goals: an MLS record. Messi accomplished all of this while only playing 28 games in a 34-game regular season schedule. Messi may be 38, but he remains an unstoppable force that the soccer world has never seen.
And when the MLS Playoffs started, things only got better for the Argentine star and the Herons.
With 13 goal contributions during the playoffs, no player has more in league history, and Messi’s six goals are second only to his teammate Tadeo Allende, while his seven assists (including secondary assists) lead all players, CBS Sports reports. He’s done this in just five games, but it’s unheard of for a single player to have the same level of involvement as Messi has — Miami’s first 12 playoff goals were scored or assisted by the Argentine phenomenon, the most of any player.
Messi won’t be alone in the trophy hunt
According to CBS Sports, adjustments made by Miami Head Coach Javier Mascherano have the team firing on all cylinders. Still, one thing has been made clear during the MLS Playoffs: Inter Miami will go as far as Messi can take them.
A MLS team has never won the MLS Cup with a single player contributing to all their goals, and thanks to Allende’s emergence as a worthy sidekick, Miami won’t have to try and become the first as they seek their first title in club history. It’s still Messi’s show, though, as he has made the unheard of seem regular, and this run is no different.
While a league MVP has yet to be announced, it’d be a surprise for anyone other than Messi to win the award, CBS Sports reports, as he’s arguably having the best season of anyone to ever come through MLS.
Messi may not have a trophy to mark what he’s done yet, but with Miami becoming the first MLS team to ever defeat a team from a European top-five league when they triumphed over FC Porto during the Club World Cup, this is a team showing what the possibilities are for MLS, and a large reason for that is Messi’s impact.
Messi vs. Müller
While the MLS Cup will be the first time they’ve ever met in MLS play, regardless of club and country, Messi and Vancouver star Thomas Müller of Germany have an extensive history.
According to CBS Sports, in their 10 faceoffs, Müller has won seven matches while Messi has won just three, with zero draws.
The only time these two soccer powerhouses met with a trophy on the line was in 2014, when Müller and the German national team defeated Messi and Argentina in the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Both teams come to win their first MLS Cup
While the Messi era has brought Miami a Supporters’ Shield and Leagues Cup trophy, the MLS Cup title is the one that the team has yet to achieve, and Vancouver will be standing in their way to do so.
According to CBS Sports, neither Miami nor Vancouver has won the MLS Cup, but that doesn’t mean Miami won’t have enough experience to get them through the match in front of their fans.
Looking to not only send Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets into retirement on a high but also close out Chase Stadium with a trophy, all the pressure will be on Inter Miami to get the job done.
That’s part of why the playoffs have had a different intensity to them this season. With last season’s first-round exit to Atlanta United in the past, this season won’t be considered a success without a trophy. Just having Messi in the side raises the expectations for Inter Miami above what has ever been expected from any MLS team, and they can reach those, but not winning the Cup will only bring more questions for the Herons.
