December 8 – Inter Miami have their first MLS Cup in just their fifth year of existence, capping off the dream they have been chasing ever since Lionel Messi landed in South Florida in 2023.
Their 3–1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps at Chase Stadium in Ft Lauderdale was the cherry on top for a season built around star power, adoring crowds, and the kind of storyline that the executives at Major League Soccer would’ve have written but not dared to believe could come true.
Messi didn’t score; he didn’t need to because, as usual, the GOAT found different ways to bend the match to his will. He set up the opener, created the turnover that led to Rodrigo De Paul’s go-ahead goal in the 71st minute, and added another late assist to send Tadeo Allende through for his ninth goal of the postseason. In a shock to no one, Messi walked away with MVP honours, to add to his 2024 Regular Season MVP award, a first for the league.
For MLS, this was the ending the league hoped for. A global superstar carrying one of its most visible clubs to a championship in front of a sea of pink shirts. This Inter Miami run wasn’t just good for the club, it was good for the league’s momentum.
And yet, the ticket market told its own story in the buildup to the final. Prices, which were astronomical early in the week, surprisingly tumbled as kickoff approached.
Seats that were more than $300 on Wednesday dipped below $220 by Thursday night, then dipped again on Saturday morning just before the match, with get-in prices briefly settling around $179. Even official Ticketmaster seats, which started at above $460 on Saturday, were part of a market that kept drifting downward.
On the field, Vancouver gave Miami a run for their money, especially after equalizing early in the second half. Emmanuel Sabbi nearly stole Messi’s headlines, hitting both posts and watching it somehow spin across the goal line without going in.
The final also saw two legends take their final bows. Spanish and Barca legends, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, both announced this would be their last season, and like they’ve managed to do throughout their incredible careers, they left the game winners. For a league hoping for a marquee finish to the Messi chapter, it’s hard to imagine a cleaner ending.
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