Major League Soccer: Will Messi Get His Fairytale Ending at Fort Lauderdale?

Inter Miami vs Vancouver Whitecaps

We’re in for a star-studded finale in this year’s Major League Soccer, as Inter Miami host the Vancouver Whitecaps at the Chase Stadium on Saturday night. These two sides went through the playoff gauntlet, and now they’ll battle for all the marbles.

The hosts had a 2-1 series win against Nashville before breezing past FC Cincinnati (4-0) and New York City FC (5-1) in the Eastern Conference semis and final. Of course, Lionel Messi has carried the Herons throughout this journey, and he’ll aim to cap off this season by bringing home another trophy for the David Beckham-owned franchise.

Meanwhile, the visitors have also reached their first Major League Soccer final after setting multiple club records this season. They had a 2-0 series win against FC Dallas before outlasting LAFC in the Western Conference semis and winning 3-1 against San Diego FC.

 

Talking Points

Messi won’t do it alone at Inter Miami

Lionel Messi has been the main catalyst of Inter Miami’s dominant run in the Major League Soccer playoffs, setting the single postseason record of 13 goal contributions (six goals, seven assists) after winning this year’s Golden Boot. However, if the Herons win it all, Messi will need help.

Fellow veterans Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba will be on their last legs, as they’ll hang up their boots after Saturday’s final. Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez will also bring it, though Tadeo Allende could be the Heron’s x-factor this weekend with his ability to create Major League Soccer 2025 highlights.

Inter Miami must be thanking Celta Vigo for loaning Allende to them, as the 26-year-old winger has been instrumental this postseason. He has made history of his own, tying the league record of eight goals in a single postseason with three straight multi-goal performances, including his first career hat-trick in Inter Miami’s 5-1 rout of New York City FC to win the Eastern Conference crown.

With Allende and Messi leading the way, Inter Miami have outscored opponents 17-4 and have won each of their last three games by at least four goals. Overall, they have scored 98 goals (regular season and postseason) this year, the most during a single campaign in league history.

 

Vancouver Whitecaps have a robust frontline

Despite being the underdogs, the Vancouver Whitecaps are not intimidated by Inter Miami. Jesper Sorensen’s side is also star-studded, with the evergreen Thomas Muller leading the way.

Muller’s impact on the team cannot be overstated. The former Bayern Munich forward has made 13 goal contributions (nine goals, four assists) in 12 matches across all competitions, helping the Vancouver Whitecaps win the Canadian Championship crown and the Western Conference.

Sebastian Berhalter and Brian White also enjoyed breakout campaigns this year. Berhalter earned MLS All-Star and Best XI selections after tallying four goals and 11 assists, while White had 16 regular season goals, as well as an additional six goals in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The Vancouver Whitecaps are the first Canadian team to reach the Major League Soccer final since Toronto FC in 2019. The last Canadian team to win the cup was Toronto in 2017.

 

History

Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps played only a handful of matches against each other, largely because they’re in different conferences. As of this writing, these two sides have played one official MLS game in May 2024, where the Herons secured a 2-1 victory at BC Place. Robert Taylor and Leonardo Campana, both of whom have already left the club, scored the goals.

However, they have faced off in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-finals earlier this year, where the Vancouver Whitecaps won 2-0 in the first leg and 3-1 in the second leg to advance to the final, eventually losing 5-0 to Cruz Azul.

Head coaches Javier Mascherano and Jesper Sorensen became two of the 13 managers to make the Major League Soccer final in their first year at the helm.

 

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Major League Soccer 2025 odds predict the Herons winning their first MLS Cup in front of their fans this weekend. Inter Miami are 1.76 favourites to win, whereas the Vancouver Whitecaps are 3.70 underdogs, and a draw is at 3.81 in the 1X2 market.

Besides our recommended bet, bettors may also consider adding Over 3.25 and Total Goal 4-6 at 2.39 to the parlay since defence seems optional in the United States. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 3-1 in favour of the visitors – the result of their previous encounter – offers a healthy payday of 13.50.

   

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