{"id":70808,"date":"2025-12-04T10:09:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T10:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/70808\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T10:09:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T10:09:37","slug":"muller-vs-messi-mls-cup-reignites-rivalry-for-vancouver-miami-superstars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/70808\/","title":{"rendered":"M\u00fcller vs. Messi: MLS Cup reignites rivalry for Vancouver, Miami superstars"},"content":{"rendered":"

The battle for the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy pits the global superstars against each other for the 11th time, highlighted by past FIFA World Cup<\/a> and UEFA Champions League showdowns for club and country that shaped both players\u2019 legacies.<\/p>\n

M\u00fcller holds most of the bragging rights, boasting a 7W-3L-0D record against Messi all-time. And, as the Germany and Bayern Munich legend playfully warned the Argentina and FC Barcelona icon upon signing with Vancouver<\/a> this summer, “I will hunt you again!”<\/p>\n

Will Messi, the winningest player in soccer history<\/a>, respond to M\u00fcller, Germany’s most decorated star<\/a>, at MLS Cup?<\/p>\n

Thomas M\u00fcller: 7 wins
\nLionel Messi: 3 wins<\/p>\n

\n International highlights<\/p>\n

Argentina 0, Germany 4 – FIFA 2010 World Cup Quarterfinals<\/p>\n

M\u00fcller opened the floodgates with a 2nd-minute header that paced Germany to a 4-0 quarterfinal rout of Messi and Argentina at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The then 20-year-old was named Best Young Player of the tournament with 5g\/3a to help Die Mannschaft place third.<\/p>\n

Germany 1, Argentina 0 – FIFA 2014 World Cup Final<\/p>\n

M\u00fcller went the full 90 and 30 minutes of extra time in Germany\u2019s dramatic 1-0 defeat of Messi\u2019s Argentina in the 2014 final that gave Germany their fourth World Cup trophy. As he did four years prior, M\u00fcller posted 5g\/3a during the competition. He finished second in the Golden Ball race\u2026 behind Messi.<\/p>\n

\n Club history<\/p>\n

During his 17-year run with Bayern Munich, M\u00fcller got the better of Messi more often than not \u2013 regardless of whether the Argentine No. 10 was playing for Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain.<\/p>\n

Bayern Munich 4, Barcelona 0 – 2012-13 UEFA Champions League Semifinals, Leg 1<\/p>\n

M\u00fcller scored a brace and added an assist as Bayern Munich steamrolled Messi and Barcelona behind a 4-0 scoreline in Leg 1 of their Champions League semifinal series. The Raumdeuter added another goal in the return leg (3-0 win) at the Camp Nou for good measure, as Die Roten handed Bar\u00e7a their worst-ever aggregate defeat in the tournament. M\u00fcller went on to win his first UCL title after a 2-1 final defeat of Borussia Dortmund.<\/p>\n

Barcelona 3, Bayern Munich 0 – 2014-15 UEFA Champions League Semifinals, Leg 1<\/p>\n

Messi got his revenge two years later in the Champions League semifinals, scoring twice and assisting Neymar for the third goal in a 3-0 Barcelona win. M\u00fcller scored in the return leg, but Bar\u00e7a advanced 5-3 on aggregate. They eventually defeated Juventus, 3-1, in the final for Messi’s fourth and final UCL crown with his longtime team.<\/p>\n

Bayern Munich 8, Barcelona 2 – 2019-20 UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals<\/p>\n

The 2019-20 Champions League knockout stages were played over a single-leg format from the quarterfinals on, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately for M\u00fcller and Bayern, they only needed 90 minutes to dismantle Messi and Barcelona. The Raumdeuter scored twice and added an assist in a legendary 8-2 thrashing of Bar\u00e7a, the club’s worst-ever defeat in European competition. M\u00fcller then lifted his second Champions League trophy after Bayern topped Paris Saint-Germain, 1-0, in the final.<\/p>\n

Messi\u2019s transformational July 2023 signing changed the North American soccer landscape and catapulted Inter Miami into a globally-recognized club practically overnight, with the legendary No. 10 spearheading an ambitious project that attracted additional star power in fellow Barcelona greats Sergio Busquets<\/a> and Jordi Alba<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s on-the-field success was just as instantaneous, as Messi & Friends led the Herons to a memorable Leagues Cup 2023 title<\/a> for the club\u2019s first-ever trophy.<\/p>\n

A fourth Bar\u00e7a icon, Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/a>, joined in 2024 to complete the \u201cCore Four\u201d of a side that clinched that year\u2019s MLS Supporters\u2019 Shield (given to the team with the best regular-season record) behind a league-record 74-point haul<\/a>. Messi also added the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award<\/a> to his extensive r\u00e9sum\u00e9, thanks to a 20g\/16a output.<\/p>\n

Messi\u2019s dominance has only increased in 2025, producing 29g\/19a to claim MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi<\/a> honors and emerge as the clear favorite to become the first-ever back-to-back MLS MVP. He\u2019s arguably been even better in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, delivering 13 goal contributions (6g\/7a) in five games to shatter the single postseason record and put Miami on the verge of their first MLS Cup title.<\/p>\n

\n Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs<\/p>\n

Round One: 2-1 series win vs. Nashville SC
\nEastern Conference Semifinal: 4-0 win at FC Cincinnati
\nEastern Conference Final: 5-1 win vs. New York City FC<\/p>\n

\n Key teammates<\/p>\n

Tadeo Allende: Allende<\/a> is tearing it up in the playoffs, equalling the MLS single postseason record of eight goals and forming an all-Argentine attacking trio with Messi and Mateo Silvetti<\/a>.
\nSergio Busquets\/Jordi Alba: The Spain and Barcelona legends will retire after MLS Cup. Can they both go out as champions?
\nRodrigo De Paul: Miami’s marquee 2025 signing, De Paul<\/a> has stabilized and solidified Miami’s midfield since his summer arrival on loan from LaLiga giants Atl\u00e9tico Madrid.<\/p>\n

Vancouver’s 2025 campaign got off to a spectacular start, as Jesper S\u00f8rensen’s side embarked on a magical run to the Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> final, while also maintaining a blistering pace in MLS play. After a brief downturn in form post-CCC, M\u00fcller’s blockbuster August arrival from Bayern Munich instantly took the Whitecaps to another level, solidifying Vancouver’s status as an MLS Cup contender.<\/p>\n

The German has been expectedly productive, contributing 9g\/4a in 12 matches across all competitions, while helping Vancouver win a fourth straight Canadian Championship<\/a> in October. But his off-field impact has been equally pronounced, with teammates and coaches speaking glowingly of his affable personality and leadership qualities.<\/p>\n

Those attributes have proved vital during Vancouver’s MLS Cup run, highlighted by an epic penalty-kick triumph<\/a> over Son Heung-Min<\/a> and LAFC<\/a> in the Western Conference Semifinals.<\/p>\n

\n Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs<\/p>\n

Round One: 2-0 series win vs. FC Dallas
\nWestern Conference Semifinal: 2-2 draw vs. LAFC, 4-3 PK win
\nWestern Conference Final: 3-1 win at San Diego FC<\/p>\n

\n Key teammates<\/p>\n

Sebastian Berhalter: A do-everything midfielder with lethal set-piece delivery, Berhalter<\/a> has parlayed his breakout 2025 campaign into a regular role with the US men\u2019s national team<\/a>.
\nBrian White: Still one of the league\u2019s most underrated No. 9s, White<\/a> racked up 16 goals this season despite injuries limiting him to just 1,672 minutes.
\nRyan Gauld: The Scottish playmaker is finally healthy after injuries sidelined him for much of the season, giving the Whitecaps a potential X-factor off the bench.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The battle for the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy pits the global superstars against each other for the 11th…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70809,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[5429,1660,123,125,124,39287,5426,4959,39449,4798],"class_list":["post-70808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-inter-miami-cf","tag-lionel-messi","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-miavsvan-12-06-2025","tag-mls-cup-playoffs","tag-sendtonews","tag-thomas-muller","tag-vancouver-whitecaps-fc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70808\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}