First-Time Glory: Inter Miami, Vancouver Whitecaps Chase Historic MLS Cup Title

The MLS Cup 2025 presented by Audi, set for Saturday at Chase Stadium (2:30 pm ET), is guaranteed to be historic, regardless of whether Inter Miami CF or Vancouver Whitecaps FC wins.

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Either Inter Miami or Vancouver Whitecaps will become the 16th different club to claim the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, marking the pinnacle of the league’s 30th season.

For the very first time, an MLS Cup champion player will also be a FIFA World Cup winner. “Hopefully it can be three,” Miami head coach Javier Mascherano joked in Thursday’s pre-match press conference.

“But I think it’s very, very interesting for the league, for this country, for this sport to have these kinds of games. We do good things where we were fighting during the whole season. We met in the Champions Cup semifinals this season. So the two teams were competing very, very well during the year.”

Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps are already familiar with each other, according to Mascherano, due to their recent encounter in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.

In the semi-finals of that continental tournament, the Vancouver Whitecaps dominated Inter Miami with a 5-1 aggregate victory, which included a notable 3-1 win on Miami’s home turf. The Whitecaps ultimately advanced to the final. Despite those spring meetings, coaches and players agree that both squads have evolved significantly:

Inter Miami strengthened their roster by adding De Paul and Mateo Silvetti. Vancouver Whitecaps on the other hand completed the high-profile signing of Müller after his departure from Bayern Munich (Bundesliga). Replacing Pedro Vite with Peruvian attacker Kenji Cabrera.

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The upcoming MLS Cup will be the 11th career contest between Muller and Messi. Historically, Muller, Germany’s most victorious player ever, has had the upper hand, holding a 7-3 win-loss record against Messi.

This winning streak includes significant matches, such as UEFA Champions League semifinals where Bayern defeated FC Barcelona, and the pivotal moment of the 2014 World Cup final, which Germany won against Argentina thanks to Mario Götze’s deciding goal.

Inter Miami is aiming to crown the legendary careers of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba with a championship, as both former Barcelona and Spain stars plan to retire following the season. Miami, nicknamed “The Herons,” have hit peak form in the playoffs, achieving a significantly improved balance and dominating opponents with a 17-4 goal difference heading into their 58th match of the year.

Meanwhile, Vancouver is enjoying their best-ever season, highlighted by a club-record 63 regular-season points, a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final, and securing their fourth consecutive Canadian Championship. Their success is reflected in individual accolades, with emerging USMNT talent Sebastian Berhalter and MLS Defender of the Year Tristan Blackmon both earning spots on the MLS Best XI.

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