Saturday night was not just another night for soccer and MLS fans. On one hand, Inter Miami became the 2025 MLS Cup Eastern Conference champion after defeating New York City FC 5-1 at Chase Stadium.
On the other hand, Vancouver Whitecaps later eliminated San Diego 3-1 and made it to the MLS Cup final after winning the Western Conference. Both teams will face each other in the MLS Cup final, but something else has fans even more excited: Lionel Messi will face Thomas Müller again.
Müller heats up the MLS Cup final
The legendary 36-year-old German striker knows exactly what it’s like to face Lionel, as this is not the first time they have faced each other in their professional careers.
The German played against the Argentine ten times in historic and decisive matches in the World Cup and Champions League with PSG and Barcelona: he won seven games and lost three.
Among them is Bayern’s 8-2 win over Barça and one of the most important victories: the 1-0 win in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil at the Maracanã Stadium in extra time. Prior to this, he had just come off a 4-0 victory with Germany over Argentina in the 2010 World Cup.
Lionel beat Thomas in two international friendlies in 2010 and 2012 (1-0 and 3-1 respectively) and once with Barcelona in 2015 in a 3-0 Champions League semifinal.
Now, they meet again for the MLS title. Despite the hype, Müller himself brought some reality to the matchup: “It’s not Messi against Thomas Müller, it’s Miami against the Whitecaps,” he told reporters after the Vancouver win, adding, “Maybe they depend on him a little more than we depend on me, because we’re such a good group… You know what I mean, right?“
He then acknowledged that he enjoys watching Messi play and that Inter Miami proved to be a “strong” team by defeating NYC: “It’s a final I wanted. I think it’s important for everyone… The good thing is not only playing against the best player who has ever played our sport and continues to do so, but I think when you have a matchup like this, more people watch you.”
“It’s an MLS Cup final. But if you play with these great players and names in world football, then it’s a little more exciting for more people around the world. So it’s a perfect situation for everyone involved,” he said.
Müller arrived in MLS in August this year looking to take the Canadian team to the top, so a new title would not go amiss.
On the other hand, Inter Miami will be playing in the first MLS Cup final in its history, and if we add to that the fact that Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets have announced that they will be retiring at the end of the season, the Florida club will also be going all out on the field.
The match will be on Saturday, December 6, at Chase Stadium, where both teams will be looking to claim victory in the MLS Cup final.
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