Report and Reaction: Whitecaps punished by a clinical Messi and Miami in MLS Cup heartbreak

In cup finals, against good teams, with world class players, it’s often the finest margins that matter. A mistake here, a bit of bad luck there. The team that can make the most of that will usually prevail.

Vancouver Whitecaps outplayed Inter Miami in spells at Fort Lauderdale’s Chase Stadium on Saturday in the 2025 MLS Cup final. They looked the better team and had the better numbers in the stats sheet come the end of the game. But the only stat that really matters was the 3-1 scoreline, as Lionel Messi came to the fore in the last 20 minutes of the match to conjure up a couple of assists to break Whitecaps hearts and secure his side’s first ever MLS Cup.

Miami were fortunate to go ahead just eight minutes in when Edier Ocampo turned a Tadeo Allende cross into his own net as he tracked back, but Vancouver tied things up on the hour mark through Ali Ahmed. Having survived a triple post scare minutes later, Miami retook the lead when the home side capitalized on a takeaway in the middle of the ‘Caps half and Rodrigo De Paul was played in and produced the cool finish.

Vancouver tried to find a reply and with the game deep in stoppage time, they needed to open up and were punished when Allende put the game to bed and Miami were champions.

It’s been a tremendous season for the ‘Caps. Three cup finals, a slew of records broken, and a team that is fun to watch and has captured the imaginations and the attention of the Vancouver public. Ending the year on a loss always stings, but when the dust settles and the tears dry up, the season will soon be seen for what it was – a remarkable triumph, with a lot of promise for what is to come.

Jesper Sorensen went with his expected starting line-up, with Tristan Blackmon returning from suspension in the backline. For Miami, their dangerman of late, Allende, was good to go for the start after missing Thursday’s training with a fever.

Vancouver came out strong, controlling the early possession and pressing hard, but it was Miami that had the first look on goal in the game in the 3rd minute, when Allende was played in, but fired high and over.

The home side seemed happy to let the ‘Caps have possession and hit on the counter and they got an early breakthrough with just eight minutes on the clock when Allende was played in again. As he tried to play the ball into the middle of the box it took an unfortunate deflection off the backtracking Ocampo and Miami had the lead.

The first goal felt particularly important in this game with the attacking threats at Miami’s disposal, but Vancouver weren’t rattled and kept going about the game the way they wanted. The problem was, for all the possession, they couldn’t create the goalscoring chances. That was soon to change.

Brian White headed an Andres Cubas cross to the back post over in the 19th minute, but it wasn’t close enough to trouble Rocco Rios Novo in the Miami goal.

The final touch also wasn’t there for Miami, and the ‘Caps rode their luck a little at the back.

White forced a save out of Rios Novo with a flicked header off a Sebastian Berhalter free kick in the 34th minute before the Miami keeper produced a big stop to deny Emmanuel Sabbi four minutes later.

It was all Whitecaps chances now and Thomas Muller saw a header saved in the 41st minute.

Trailing by one at the half, neither team made any changes for the restart and the Whitecaps continued to take the game to Miami.

Aside from a scare in the 56th minute when an open Messi sent a header wide, it was all Vancouver, and their dominance got its reward on the hour mark.

Sabbi cut inside from the right, playing the ball forward to White just inside the box. Back to goal, the ‘Caps striker held it up superbly before touching it to a wide open Ahmed to his right, whose shot just had enough on it to let it get away from Rios Novo and go in off the left post.

The Miami keeper should have done better, but it was no less than the Whitecaps deserved. They sensed blood in the water and immediately went back at it to try and get the lead. But the woodwork gods giveth and the woodwork gods taketh away.

Two minutes after levelling things up, Sabbi got the ball about 10 yards inside the Miami half and powered through the middle into the box. Cutting inside he unleashed a fierce strike that agonisingly crashed off the right post, along the goalline and off the left post. The rebound fell back to Sabbi at a tight angle and he sent his follow up off the left post as well, and Miami dodged a huge bullet.

Having survived a triple post in their win over LAFC, the tables had turned and it was to prove to be the closest Vancouver would come to finding a second.

As the game headed into the final 20 minutes, Vancouver were in the ascendency and looking the more likely to find the next goal, with Miami looking a shell of the attacking threat we’ve seen all playoffs. But the mark of a great team is that they can then find those special moments when they need them the most and that’s exactly what Miami did in the 71st minute.

Andres Cubas, who was outstanding and my man of the match for the first 70 minutes, got his pocket picked, allowing Messi to power forward and slipping the ball through to De Paul. The Argentine raced in on goal, fired it past Yohei Takaoka and Miami retook the lead, this time it was one they weren’t to give up.

Vancouver then struggled to get their foothold on the game back, as Miami’s game management was on point.

With the game heading into stoppage time, the ‘Caps made their final subs and the last throw of the dice. They were struggling to get the ball, however, and when they did the final passes needed weren’t there.

As they started to open up to find a late leveller, Miami were finding more space and they sealed the deal in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Jordi Alba sent a long ball forward, which was superbly flicked in by Messi for Allende to race in and get the third goal that put the game beyond doubt.

Vancouver’s dreams were over for another year, but what a season it’s been. A heartbreaking loss in the end, but it’s been a season that the club and the players, to a man, should be very, very proud of.

While this hurts just now, and it’s not the time for season reflections, the achievements of this team will be hard to emulate. But that’s football and that’s what the Whitecaps now need to not only do, but better.

FINAL SCORE: Inter Miami 3 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps

ATT: 21,556

MIAMI: 34.Rocco Ríos Novo; 18.Jordi Alba, 32.Noah Allen, 5.Sergio Busquets, 37.Maximiliano Falcón,17.Ian Fray (57.Marcelo Weigandt 90’+1); 11.Baltasar Rodríguez (8.Telasco Segovia 56’), 7.Rodrigo De Paul, 24.Mateo Silvetti (42.Yannick Bright 78’); 10.Lionel Messi, 21.Tadeo Allende [Substitutes not used: 19.Óscar Ustari, 2.Gonzalo Luján, 6.Tomás Avilés, 9.Luis Suárez, 14.Fafà Picault, 29.Allen Obando]

VANCOUVER: 1.Yohei Takaoka; 18.Édier Ocampo, 33.Tristan Blackmon, 6.Ralph Priso (23.Joedrick Pupe 68’), 2.Mathías Laborda; 16.Sebastian Berhalter, 20.Andrés Cubas (17.Kenji Cabrera 82’); 11.Emmanuel Sabbi (7.Jayden Nelson 90’+1), 13.Thomas Müller, 22.Ali Ahmed (25.Ryan Gauld 68’); 24.Brian White [Substitutes not used: 32.Isaac Boehmer, 14.Daniel Ríos, 28.Tate Johnson, 59.Jeevan Badwal, 75.Rayan Elloumi]

SCORING SUMMARY:
8’ – MIA – Édier Ocampo (own goal)
60’ – VAN – Ali Ahmed (Brian White, Emmanuel Sabbi)
71’ – MIA – Rodrigo De Paul (Lionel Messi)
90’+6 – MIA – Tadeo Allende (Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba)

STATS:
Possession: MIA 43% – VAN 57%
Shots: MIA 8 – VAN 11
Shots on Goal: MIA 4 – VAN 4
Saves: MIA 3 – VAN 1
Fouls: MIA 22 – VAN 23
Offsides: MIA 4 – VAN 0
Corners: MIA 1 – VAN 1

CARDS:
13’ – MIA – Baltasar Rodríguez
17’ – VAN – Brian White
45’ – VAN – Édier Ocampo
48’ – MIA – Maximiliano Falcón
66’ – VAN – Tristan Blackmon
74’ – VAN – Andrés Cubas
86’ – MIA – Rodrigo De Paul
86’ – VAN – Mathías Laborda
90’+4 – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
90’+8 – MIA – Rocco Ríos Novo

REACTION:

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS

JESPER SORENSEN (ON APPLE TV)

On how he will remember his first year as head coach of this team:

“That will be a lot of things I would say. The resilience of the team, the teamwork – the group, how they act and work and behave together and – it’s been a great season. We’re here, we came up short today. These games, they are decided in small moments. We had the one – Sabbi on both posts. And I thought we had them. But it’s just a split second. And then, it was 2- 1. Then we stressed a little too much in the end and had to open up, obviously.”

Jesper on what the fans mean:

“Everything. Everything. And I hope they’re listening in BC Place. Thank you so much. It’s been unbelievable, guys, unbelievable. What we have done and the support we got, the backing from the city. Listen, today we cry. But it’s proud tears. And we wipe them away and we’ll be back again.”

WINGER ALI AHMED (TSN INTERVIEW)

On going on this run, with this team:

“It was amazing, man. That’s why a lot of us are a little emotional. We know the comradery we have in this group, the tightness we have in this group, we’re all united. Everybody’s bought in. It would have been so special to win with this group of guys… you never know what’s next. But it would have been very special winning MLS Cup with this group.”

INTER MIAMI

LIONEL MESSI (ON APPLE TV)

On MLS trajectory and winning MLS Cup:

“Three years ago, I decided to come to MLS, and today we are MLS champions. We reached the semifinals of the [Concacaf] Champions Cup. Last year we went out early in the league and were eliminated in the first round. This year, winning MLS was one of our main objectives. The team made a huge effort—it was a very long year, with many matches—and we were up to the task all season. This is the moment I had been waiting for, and that we, as a team, were waiting for. It’s very beautiful for all of us. They deserved it.”

On Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba retirement with the MLS Cup title:

“Given what they’ve been—as players, both were among the greatest in history, each in his position, with the careers they had and the titles they won—it’s wonderful that they can retire with this MLS title. I don’t think they’re fully aware yet of what they’re experiencing, of what it means to retire. Today something very beautiful ends for them, something to which they dedicated their whole lives.Now a new life begins for them. I wish them the very best, because they are two friends I care for deeply. I’m happy they can leave with this title.”