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12/04 14:55 CST Lionel Messi is playing for another trophy. Inter Miami to meet
Vancouver in the MLS Cup final
Lionel Messi is playing for another trophy. Inter Miami to meet Vancouver in
the MLS Cup final
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) --- For Lionel Messi, the MLS Cup final on Saturday
will represent some endings. And, quite possibly, a new beginning.
Messi and Inter Miami will take on Thomas Mller --- one of his longtime rivals
--- and the Vancouver Whitecaps for Major League Soccer's championship. It's
the first final for both clubs, which means MLS is about to have a first-time
champion.
But for Messi, it's the end of a couple eras. It's the last match planned at
Inter Miami's current home, with the team set to move into a
still-under-construction stadium near Miami International Airport next season.
And barring some serious changes of heart, it'll be the last time he gets to
play with longtime teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets --- they're both
retiring after Saturday --- and possibly Luis Suarez as well.
"I'm very grateful for the career I've had, the teams I've played for,
everything I've learned, everything I've enjoyed, and well, it's been a
privilege," Alba said in Spanish on Thursday. "Yes, it's a week with a lot of
emotions, knowing that it's going to be my last game ... and hopefully, I end
my career in the best possible scenario, in a final and we win."
It's not like Messi needs this win for his legacy; Argentina's star --- a
winner of 46 championships for club and country worldwide, the most in history
--- is widely considered the greatest player ever and Saturday's outcome won't
help or hurt that reputation. Same goes for Mller, the German great who has
been on the winning end of a World Cup final in which he played against Messi
(and Javier Mascherano, now the Inter Miami coach).
That said, Saturday will bring at least one first: If Vancouver wins, Mller
will be the first player to win a World Cup and an MLS Cup. If Inter Miami
wins, Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Busquets will become the first trio to say
they were both a World Cup and an MLS champion.
"We are going to have four World Cup winners on the pitch," Mascherano said. "I
think it's very, very interesting for the league."
Mller --- part of more than 30 trophy wins for club and country himself ---
was asked how the MLS Cup ranks on his list.
"At the moment, I rank it No. 1," Muller said. "Because it's the only final
that we are talking about. It's upcoming. At the moment, for me, this final on
Saturday is the most important thing in my life."
He then paused a bit.
"That's a good line, ah?" he asked, laughing at his joke.
But clearly, the MLS Cup is something that both teams want badly. For Inter
Miami, it's a chance to prove that bringing in the Barcelona foursome ---
Messi, Alba, Suarez and Busquets --- was all worth it. For Vancouver, which
beat Inter Miami twice this season in the CONCACAF Champions League, it's a
chance to win a trophy and go through Messi to get it done.
"Obviously, they were much better than us in April," Mascherano said. "But the
situation is not the same. We are in a different situation. We arrive to this
final with confidence, with some different players. And we know that they have
a very, very good team."
Of late ... Inter Miami is 10-2-1 in its last 13 matches, going back to the regular season. The team has been particularly dominant in three win-or-go-home matches during these MLS playoffs, winning those by a combined score of 13-1. Vancouver is 7-1-5 in its last 13 matches and has given up a total of 17 goals in its last 17 matches against MLS opponents.
Home edge The team playing in its home stadium, or home market, has won 11 of the last 14 MLS Cup titles. Of the three that lost in that scenario, two fell in penalty kicks. Vancouver won at Inter Miami in April in the CONCACAF semifinals. Inter Miami is 16-2-2 across all competitions at home since. "We've been ready for this this whole season," Vancouver midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said. "The pressure, it comes with it. It's a privilege and it's fun and I think you know our guys are going to lean into it and enjoy it. Home team, away team, I don't think it matters." ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Of late ... Inter Miami is 10-2-1 in its last 13 matches, going back to the regular season. The team has been particularly dominant in three win-or-go-home matches during these MLS playoffs, winning those by a combined score of 13-1. Vancouver is 7-1-5 in its last 13 matches and has given up a total of 17 goals in its last 17 matches against MLS opponents.
Home edge The team playing in its home stadium, or home market, has won 11 of the last 14 MLS Cup titles. Of the three that lost in that scenario, two fell in penalty kicks. Vancouver won at Inter Miami in April in the CONCACAF semifinals. Inter Miami is 16-2-2 across all competitions at home since. "We've been ready for this this whole season," Vancouver midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said. "The pressure, it comes with it. It's a privilege and it's fun and I think you know our guys are going to lean into it and enjoy it. Home team, away team, I don't think it matters." ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
