Vancouver Whitecaps’ forward Thomas Muller has won seven of his ten career matches against Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi. Can Muller and the Whitecaps head on the road and shock Miami in the 2025 MLS Cup Final?
The two sides will meet at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday at 2:30 pm EST. While Inter Miami has been dominant in recent matches, as Messi has scored six goals in the MLS Cup Playoffs, Tadeo Allende actually leads the hosts, with eight playoff goals
Vancouver has been the most balanced team in MLS this season, though, and actually beat Inter Miami twice in the CONCACAF Champions Cup this season. Ahead of the 2025 MLS Cup Final, we’ll preview the action and share our prediction and best bet.
2025 MLS Cup Final: Game Info and Head to Head
- Game: Inter Miami vs Vancouver Whitecaps
- Location: Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Time: 2:30 pm EST
- TV & Streaming: FOX, Apple TV
This will only be the second-ever MLS meeting between Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps. The first match between the two sides was last May, at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium. Lionel Messi did not play, but Inter Miami still managed to pick up a 2-1 victory.
However, Messi was in the lineup for both legs of April’s CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinal. The Whitecaps were excellent, grabbing a 5-1 aggregate victory over Inter Miami. Vancouver picked up a 2-0 win at home before heading to Chase Stadium and coming away with an iconic 3-1 victory.
Inter Miami Can’t Stop Scoring
Tadeo Allende, on loan from La Liga side Celta Vigo, has been a revelation for Inter Miami in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Argentine winger scored a hat trick in the 5-1 win over New York City FC in the Eastern Conference Final and has three straight games with two goals or more.
With the emergence of Allende as a legitimate goal threat, there is less pressure on Lionel Messi to score. Still, Messi has left his mark on every match he’s featured in, in the playoffs. Messi has registered a goal contribution in each of Inter Miami’s five matches thus far.
He’s managed six goals and five assists in the MLS Cup Playoffs, during which Inter Miami are 4-1. In the MLS Regular Season, Inter Miami had an impressive 11-3-3 record at Chase Stadium. In fact, they’ve only lost one home match since May.
Still, this won’t necessarily be a straightforward match for them. They’ve been prone to conceding goals in bunches at times this season. Inter Miami also shipped five goals over two games to Vancouver in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinal.
It’s certainly a luxury to have the likes of Messi, Allende, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets. Inter can also bring on Luis Suarez if they need a goal. Given they’ve scored 17 times in five playoff matches, there’s a chance they won’t need reinforcements.
Whitecaps Improve by Adding Müller
It’s certainly worth noting that both of the Vancouver Whitecaps’ wins over Inter Miami in the CONCACAF Champions Cup were before Thomas Müller had joined the team. Müller is a serial winner who played a part in knocking Messi’s PSG out of the 2023 Champions League and Barcelona out of the 2020 UCL.
In games that Müller has played, the Whitecaps are 7-4-1. They’re also battle-tested, having emerged victorious in some close playoff games. They already have an advantage if the proceedings go into penalties, having won in the first round and Western Conference Semifinals in PKs.
Since Müller joined the Whitecaps, they also have an unbeaten 3-2-0 record in away games. They’ll take confidence from already beating Inter Miami at Chase Stadium back in April. With star striker Brian White now healthy, the Whitecaps, who were our original pick to win the 2025 MLS Cup Final, are even stronger.
White scored two first-half goals in the Whitecaps’ 3-1 road win over San Diego FC in the Western Conference Final. San Diego finished in first place in the Western Conference, and Vancouver had no problems taking them down. The Whitecaps also knocked out Son Heung-min and LAFC in penalties.
Midfielder and US international Sebastian Berhalter has also been a key player in Vancouver’s run to the 2025 MLS Cup Final. While Inter Miami are reliant on Lionel Messi as a creator, Vancouver does not lean on any one player in the same way.
2025 MLS Cup Final: Prediction and Best Bet
It’s hard to argue that these aren’t the two best teams in MLS. In a rare final with bona fide stars on both sides, Inter Miami are -133 favorites to win in regular time. Inter Miami led the Eastern Conference with a +26 goal difference in the regular season, but Vancouver led the league with a +28.
I think Vancouver (+280 to win in 90 mins) is the rare MLS team that matches up well against Inter Miami. If they’re able to slow down Messi even a little bit, they’ve got a fighting chance. It’s not just speculation that they’ll be able to do so.
Vancouver allowed just one goal to Inter Miami over two legs in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Inter Miami also folded and lost 3-0 to Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup Final back in September. Inter Miami are nowhere near invincible, despite averaging 3.4 goals per game in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Both teams likely get on the scoresheet here, and the oddsmakers seem to think so as well. That potentiality is listed at -217 odds for the 2025 MLS Cup Final. Vancouver needs to be compact defensively and take the chances they will inevitably get.
NYCFC and FC Cincinnati weren’t exactly the most dangerous offensive teams. Notably, only Inter Miami scored more goals than the Whitecaps in the regular season. If Vancouver can push this one to extra time, I think Inter Miami will run out of steam.
I’m predicting a 2-2 scoreline in regular time (+1050) and a Vancouver victory in extra time. The 2025 MLS Cup Final best bet is Vancouver to lift their first-ever league trophy, at +175 odds.
Best Bet: Vancouver to Lift the Trophy (+175)
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