{"id":73845,"date":"2025-12-06T22:50:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T22:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/73845\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T22:50:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T22:50:21","slug":"messi-and-inter-miami-have-completed-their-journey-they-win-the-mls-cup-topping-vancouver-3-1-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/73845\/","title":{"rendered":"Messi and Inter Miami have completed their journey. They win the MLS Cup, topping Vancouver 3-1"},"content":{"rendered":"

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Lionel Messi ‘s legacy was long secured when he came to Inter Miami and joined Major League Soccer. He’d won a World Cup, won dozens of trophies, was generally considered the greatest player in the sport’s history.<\/p>\n

He didn’t need an MLS Cup.<\/p>\n

Click to Gallery<\/p>\n

\"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami forward Tadeo Allende (21) celebrates his goal during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

\"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami forward Tadeo Allende (21) kicks the ball for a goal during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

\"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo de Paul (7) reacts at the end of the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

\"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) and his teammates celebrate after Inter Miami forward Tadeo Allende (21) scores a goal during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

\"Vancouver<\/p>\n

Vancouver Whitecaps’ Ali Ahmed (right) celebrates his goal against Inter Miami with Andres Cubas during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n

\"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) kicks a corner kicks during the first half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/p>\n

\"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami forwards Lionel Messi (10) and Tadeo Allende (21) celebrate after Vancouver Whitecaps defender \u00c9dier Ocampo scored an own goal during the first half of the MLS Cup final soccer match Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

\"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo de Paul (7) celebrates a goal with forward Lionel Messi (10) and defender Jordi Alba (18) during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/p>\n

But he wanted one \u2014 and got it.<\/p>\n

Messi and Inter Miami have completed their ascent, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Saturday in the MLS Cup final for the franchise’s first championship. It came 2 1\/2 years after the legend arrived in South Florida, a move that stunned plenty of onlookers at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said soccer would never make it in America,\u201d MLS Commissioner Don Garber said during the trophy ceremony. \u201cInter Miami fans, has soccer made it?\u201d<\/p>\n

It has in South Florida, thanks to Messi. He set up the title-clinching goal with a 72nd-minute assist to Rodrigo De Paul, a play where Messi stole the ball and threaded a pass through a tiny gap in a wall of Vancouver defenders. De Paul got it in stride, pushed it into the far corner of the net \u2014 and Messi went airborne to hop into his arms a few seconds later, all smiles.<\/p>\n

And as the final minutes ticked away, Inter Miami’s pink-clad fans \u2014 most wearing Messi’s No. 10 on their backs \u2014 stood and stomped and cheered. South Florida has seen NFL and NBA and Major League Baseball and NHL titles in the past.<\/p>\n

It’s a soccer town now, too. Messi made that happen. Tadeo Allende scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time \u2014 off another Messi assist, of course \u2014 to make it 3-1. And when Messi lifted the trophy surrounded by his teammates, confetti rained down and fireworks boomed.<\/p>\n

Inter Miami became the 16th franchise in the league’s 30-year history to win an MLS title. And this extends a run of parity for MLS, which has seen five different franchises win championships in the last five years and eight franchises claim a title in the last nine seasons \u2014 only Columbus has won twice in that span.<\/p>\n

It was also the culmination of a 12-year odyssey for David Beckham, part of Inter Miami\u2019s ownership group.<\/p>\n

He retired as a player in 2013 and his MLS contract said he could start a franchise at a discounted rate when his career ended. Beckham chose Miami and it took him years to finally make it happen; it wasn\u2019t until January 2018 when the franchise was formally born, after he partnered with Miami businessmen Jorge Mas and Jose Mas, and even then the team didn\u2019t have a stadium plan.<\/p>\n

The team started play in 2020, and Messi arrived halfway through the 2023 season. Inter Miami was in last place in MLS at the time.<\/p>\n

And then Messi arrived. The last-place team then now runs the league.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an incredible journey,\u201d Beckham said.<\/p>\n

The trophy is Messi\u2019s 47th for club and country, extending his global men\u2019s soccer record, and some say it’s actually 48 because MLS awards a trophy for winning conference titles as well. He\u2019s now won at least 21 titles in one-match final situations, many of them with the core of this team \u2014 Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Javier Mascherano, his longtime Barcelona teammates.<\/p>\n

Busquets and Alba are retiring and got to go out as champions. Suarez\u2019s future is uncertain. Mascherano is the coach now, one who changed Inter Miami\u2019s lineup and tactics halfway through the season \u2014 his first one leading the club \u2014 with this moment in mind.<\/p>\n

And the 38-year-old Messi, the 2024 MLS MVP who seems like a lock to win the award again this season, still is like none other in the biggest moments with a contract that could have him playing with Miami into his early 40s. When next season starts, the team will be playing in a new stadium near Miami International Airport with a back-to-back title in mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not just here to enjoy living in Miami,\u201d Beckham said. \u201cHis wife and the kids love Miami, but he\u2019s come here to win, and that\u2019s really what Leo is all about. He wants to win. He\u2019s got that dedication, the loyalty that he shows to his teammates, to the city, to the club. Leo is a winner. It\u2019s simple as that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inter Miami went up 1-0 on an own goal in the eighth minute, before Vancouver tied it in the 60th on a score by Ali Ahmed. Another Vancouver shot hit both posts about two minutes later but stayed out, and Inter Miami got the lead for good when Messi found De Paul.<\/p>\n

And not long after the final whistle, Messi went over to the Inter Miami supporters section and threw both his hands in the air. It was a moment 2 1\/2 years in the making.<\/p>\n

AP soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/p>\n


\n \"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami forward Tadeo Allende (21) celebrates his goal during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami forward Tadeo Allende (21) kicks the ball for a goal during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo de Paul (7) reacts at the end of the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) and his teammates celebrate after Inter Miami forward Tadeo Allende (21) scores a goal during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Vancouver<\/p>\n

Vancouver Whitecaps’ Ali Ahmed (right) celebrates his goal against Inter Miami with Andres Cubas during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) kicks a corner kicks during the first half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami forwards Lionel Messi (10) and Tadeo Allende (21) celebrate after Vancouver Whitecaps defender \u00c9dier Ocampo scored an own goal during the first half of the MLS Cup final soccer match Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Inter<\/p>\n

Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo de Paul (7) celebrates a goal with forward Lionel Messi (10) and defender Jordi Alba (18) during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended strikes on alleged drug cartel boats during remarks Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, saying President Donald Trump has the power to take military action \u201cas he sees fit\u201d to defend the nation.<\/p>\n

Hegseth dismissed criticism of the strikes, which have killed more than 80 people and now face intense scrutiny over concerns that they violated international law. Saying the strikes are justified to protect Americans, Hegseth likened the fight to the war on terror following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re working for a designated terrorist organization and you bring drugs to this country in a boat, we will find you and we will sink you. Let there be no doubt about it,” Hegseth said during his keynote address at the Reagan National Defense Forum. “President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation\u2019s interests. Let no country on earth doubt that for a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most recent strike brings the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people. Lawmakers have sought more answers about the attacks and their legal justification, and whether U.S. forces were ordered to launch a follow-up strike following a September attack even after the Pentagon knew of survivors.<\/p>\n

Though Hegseth compared the alleged drug smugglers to Al-Qaida terrorists, experts have noted significant differences between the two foes and the efforts to combat them.<\/p>\n

Hegseth’s remarks came after the Trump administration released its new national security strategy, one that paints European allies as weak and aims to reassert America\u2019s dominance in the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n

During the speech, Hegseth also discussed the need to check China\u2019s rise through strength instead of conflict. He repeated Trump\u2019s vow to resume nuclear testing on an equal basis as China and Russia \u2014 a goal that has alarmed many nuclear arms experts. China and Russia haven\u2019t conducted explosive tests in decades, though the Kremlin said it would follow the U.S. if Trump restarted tests.<\/p>\n

The speech was delivered at the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in California, an event which brings together top national security experts from around the country. Hegseth used the visit to argue that Trump is Reagan’s \u201ctrue and rightful heir” when it comes to muscular foreign policy.<\/p>\n

By contrast, Hegseth criticized Republican leaders in the years since Reagan for supporting wars in the Middle East and democracy-building efforts that didn’t work. He also blasted those who have argued that climate change poses serious challenges to military readiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe war department will not be distracted by democracy building, interventionism, undefined wars, regime change, climate change, woke moralizing and feckless nation building,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n


\n \"Defense<\/p>\n

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives before the lighting of the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, near the White House in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Defense<\/p>\n

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n

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