Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will host Vancouver in the MLS Cup final after an emphatic victory over New York City FC.
Published November 30, 2025
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano praised Lionel Messi as “extraordinary” after the Argentine superstar led the club to its first Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup final appearance with a 5-1 victory over New York City FC on Saturday.
A hat trick from Tadeo Allende and goals from Matteo Silvetti and Telasco Segovia sent a revitalized Miami into next Saturday’s championship game at home in Fort Lauderdale.
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Although Messi wasn’t on the scoresheet, the 38-year-old brilliantly assisted Silvetti’s third goal for Miami, ending the game as New York chased the equalizer.
“Leo made us accustomed to the extraordinary,” Mascherano said of his former Barcelona and Argentina teammate.
“He is an extraordinary person, someone we will never see again. We may have been surprised that he didn’t score today, but he reassured us with the assist for the third goal, which only he knows. He essentially decided the game.”
Miami hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps next Saturday in the MLS showpiece.
Led by former Germany international and Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller, Vancouver advanced to the finals and clinched the Western Conference title with an impressive 3-1 victory over San Diego in California on Saturday.
Messi and his teammates will go into the final brimming with confidence after another merciless, high-scoring display of destruction following last week’s 4-0 loss to FC Cincinnati.
Allende, who scored twice in the win over Cincinnati, was once again the focal point of Miami’s offense.
The 26-year-old Argentine forward deftly parried New York’s offside trap to take the lead in the 14th minute, then converted his second goal with a stunning header to make it 2-0.
New York responded with a header from Justin Haak in the 37th minute, and came close to tying the game in the 66th minute when Julian Fernandez made a fine one-handed save on Miami goalie Rocco Rios Novo.
This near miss proved decisive.
Miami quickly swept the field, and after a fluid move between Rodrigo de Paul and Jordi Alba, Messi slipped a pass to Silvetti, who dived into the goal to make it 3-1.
“Unbreakable”
Segovia then put away any doubts by scoring Miami’s fourth goal in the 83rd minute, and with a minute left Allende completed his hat trick to cheers.
With the win, Miami is one win away from completing a remarkable transformation after a losing streak and a season that appeared to be unraveling early in the season.
“We were able to come to the end of the season stronger as a group, there was a brotherhood within the team, everyone was united and it didn’t matter who started,” Mascherano said. “We are a group and the power of the group is unbreakable.”
Meanwhile, Vancouver, which defeated Miami 5-1 on aggregate in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals in April, suggested it was ready to beat San Diego with a stellar performance against a star-studded Florida team.
The Canadian club got off to a dream start, with Brian White scoring the opening goal after just eight minutes.
Vancouver’s relentless pressure forced an own goal from San Diego goaltender Pablo Cisniega three minutes later, and the Whites’ second goal just before halftime made it 3-0.
In the 60th minute, Mexican national team forward Irving Lozano scored a long-range shot, raising San Diego’s hopes for an unexpected counterattack.
However, Vancouver continued to look like the team most likely to score, and Sisniega was shown a red card for rounding up and knocking down Ryan Gold, a Whitecaps player trying to score.
