Inter Miami is just one step away from achieving the glory they surely dreamed of when they signed Lionel Messi in 2023. The Vancouver Whitecaps, led by Thomas Müller, are the only obstacle separating them from the league title (MLS Cup), whose winner will be decided this Saturday at Miami’s Chase Stadium.
The final is not only a historic opportunity for Inter Miami to win its first MLS Cup, just five years after its first official match, but it will also mark the farewell – dreamy or bitter – of Spaniards Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, who will retire from professional soccer this Saturday.
Müller propels Vancouver into historic final
Dona y cambia vidas
Tu donativo brinda terapias, esperanza y un futuro sin límites a niños con discapacidad. Haz la diferencia hoy.
But up against them is the former bête noire of the ex-Canadians, Müller, who arrived in Vancouver this summer from Bayern Munich and is looking forward to a successful first season with the Canadian club.
Like Inter Miami, the Vancouver Whitecaps are facing a golden opportunity.
Never before since joining MLS in 2011 had they made it this far in the ‘playoffs’, and their all-time high was two Conference Semifinals in 2015 and 2017.
Since Müller’s arrival in August, they have lost only one game out of 16 played.
How do they reach the final?
Inter Miami will play the final at home because it has more points than its opponent in the regular season.
The team coached by Javier Mascherano finished third in the Eastern Conference with 65 points.
While the Vancouver Whitecaps finished second in the West with 63, after a loss in the last league game that could have changed everything.
In the playoffs, both have been almost unbeatable.
The Canadians left Dallas (3-0 and 1-1 in penalty kicks), Heung-Min Son’s Los Angeles (2-2 in penalty kicks) and San Diego (1-3) on the road.
Inter Miami reached the final with an almost historic scoring record, with 17 goals scored and 3 conceded, after eliminating Nashville (3-1, 2-1 and 4-0), Cincinnati (0-4) and New York City (5-1).
Inter Miami threatens records
If they score a goal in the final, they will equal the record number of goals in a single postseason set last year by the Los Angeles Galaxy (18).
Between regular season and finals, Inter Miami has already broken the league’s all-time record with 98 goals.
Tadeo Allende, with 5 goals in the last two games, is one of Inter Miami’s most in-form players.
While Brian White is coming off a brace in the conference final for the Vancouver Whitecaps after coming back from injury.
Aroma of revenge
This Saturday’s match will be the third meeting between the two teams so far this season.
This follows the Canadians’ resounding defeat of Inter Miami in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in May.
The Vancouver Whitecaps won 5-1 on aggregate in that tie, including a 1-3 away win in the second leg, with Messi, Busquest, Alba and Luis Suárez on the pitch, and while Müller was still based in Munich.
However, the Canadian team was no match for Cruz Azul in the final of the continental tournament, in which they lost 5-0 with four goals in the first half.
They gained partial revenge with their victory last October in the Canadian cup final, an almost symbolic achievement against semi-professional teams.
Historic success or failure
After being eliminated in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, thrashed (3-0) in the final of the Leagues Cup, and far from the MLS Supporters’ Shield that crowns the regular season champion, the final looks like an all or nothing for the Inter Miami project, which this summer brought in a new ‘European’ in Rodrigo De Paul.
Called to dominate North America, a defeat would be a blow to a team that has guaranteed Messi’s continuity after his renewal.
But it will lose Alba and Busquets, and is left with doubts about the future of Suarez.
Probable lineups
Inter Miami: Rocco Ríos Novo; Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Maximiliano Falcón, Marcelo Weigandt, Mateo Silvetti, Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo De Paul, Baltasar Rodríguez, Tadeo Allende, Lionel Messi.
Vancouver Whitecaps: Yohei Takaoka; Tate Johnson, Ralph Priso-Mbongue, Mathias Laborda, Edier Ocampo, Andrés Cubas, Sebastian Berhalter, Ali Ahmed, Thomas Müller, Emmanuel Sabbi, Brian White.
Referee: Drew Fischer (United States)
Stadium: Chase Stadium (Miami).
Time: 14.30 local time (18.30 GMT).
With information from EFE
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com
