Inter Miami Finally Cross the Finish Line

It has been 2.5 years since Inter Miami – in their fourth season in club history – sent a statement across Major League Soccer with a blockbuster summer. At the time, Miami were one of the worst teams in the league, and after bouncing out of the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs in their maiden postseason trip in 2022, they needed something to transform their fortunes.

Miami decided to throw all their chips behind an ambitious window that saw them sign two legendary veterans in Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, an array of promising young South American talents, and the greatest player of all time in Lionel Messi. Fresh off winning his first-ever World Cup, Messi immediately turned things around by leading Miami to the Leagues Cup title as well as the U.S. Open Cup Final, whilst the following season would see Miami return to the playoffs after two years and enjoy the best regular season record in MLS history. But despite this epic Supporters’ Shield title, Miami failed to make inroads in the playoffs after losing to Atlanta in the opening round. Tata Martino departed his coaching position after nearly two years at the helm, with another Argentine – Javier Mascherano – taking the reins.

The Herons went deep in various competitions, going to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals and the Leagues Cup Final, in addition to being the only MLS team to reach the FIFA Club World Cup knockout round. However, they struggled to find consistency in league player under Mascherano, closing out September with a stalemate vs. Toronto and a loss to Chicago Fire and relinquishing the Supporters’ Shield to Philadelphia Union. Ultimately, it seems that merely lit a fire under their bellies, with Miami proceeding to win their final regular season matches by a combined 13-3 scoreline before beating Nashville 3-1 in Game 1 of the first round.

After losing 2-1 at Nashville, many suspected that a repeat of last year’s upset could be on the cards; instead, Miami demolished Nashville 4-0 at home before making quick work of Cincinnati in a 4-0 thrashing in Ohio. Miami then destroyed New York City FC 5-1 before taking on fellow MLS Cup Final debutantes Vancouver Whitecaps in South Florida. Mascherano’s men looked headed for a routine win after taking an early lead via an own goal; instead, Vancouver snapped into action and pressed the issue, packing the hosts deep into their own half and rattling the post time and time again before eventually getting their just rewards at the hour-mark. This proved to be the wake-up call that Miami required, with Messi carving out the go-ahead goal to Rodrigo de Paul in the 71st minute before putting the game to bed in the final seconds by teeing up Tadeo Allende’s goal. Vancouver had come so far – completing the longest trip in North American professional sports – but ultimately, they came away from the match empty-handed in an attempt to become the first Canadian side since Toronto FC in 2017 to win a major American soccer trophy.

It was a fitting swan song for both Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, who have solidified themselves in lore as two of the greatest La Masia products of all time alongside the likes of Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Guillermo Amor and Gerard Pique. However, there was no last dance for Luis Suarez, who looks set to depart the club after two seasons in the 305, having lost his place in attack to Argentine teenager Matteo Silvetti during the final matches of the season. Whilst Telasco Segovia, Yannick Bright and Marcelo Weigant came off the bench, Suarez matched on as the Herons conquered the most prestigious trophy in American soccer.

There will be plenty of changes with Inter Miami over the next three months as they prepare for the 2026 season, between a new stadium and new additions in attack to replace their outgoing veterans. But for now, they need to savor this moment and take in this momentous achievement: Inter Miami are champions of America, and that’s something that nobody will ever be able to take away from them.