MLS Eastern Conference final match at Chase Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Domson Narcisse
Inter Miami continues to write its history at high speed. By outclassing New York City FC 5–1 in the Eastern Conference final, the Florida club won the third trophy in its young history, after the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield. A coronation that also propels Lionel Messi into unprecedented territory with 47 trophies, an absolute record in the history of football. The Argentine also becomes the best passer of all time with 405 assists, surpassing Ferenc Puskás and his 404 assists.
This playoff campaign will have revealed a transformed team, far from its irregularities of the regular season. Defensively, the newfound serenity has transformed a team that has often been feverish in recent months. Offensively, several players arrived at the top of their form at the perfect time, including Tadeo Allende, who scored a hat-trick, and Mateo Silvetti, who was sparkling between the lines. Luis Suárez, still valuable but spared, now starts on the bench, a sign of the depth and tactical evolution driven by Javier Mascherano. Also of note is the presence of Fafa Picault, who joins an extremely closed circle of Haitians linked to the history of the MLS Cup, alongside Derrick Étienne Jr., champion in 2020 and decisive scorer with Columbus Crew, and Ricardo Pierre-Louis, member of the Crew’s 2008 champion squad, although he did not play a game that season.
Founded in 2018 and officially integrated into MLS in 2020, Inter Miami is now the helm of North American football and has reached an MLS Cup final for the first time. It will be played this Saturday, at home, against the Vancouver Whitecaps, in a symbolic duel between an American team and a Canadian team. Last April, Vancouver eliminated Miami in the semi-finals of the Concacaf Champions Cup, adding a dimension of revenge to the line-up. The recent arrival of Thomas Müller, already decisive, also revives a history shared with Messi since the Bayern-Barça evenings. A final full of contrasts, between a hoped-for revenge for Miami or an assumed repeat for Vancouver.