MATCH PREVIEW: Vancouver Whitecaps take on Inter Miami in 2025 MLS CUP FINAL 🏆
Thomas Müller vs. Lional Messi. Sebastian Berhalter vs. Rodrigo De Paul. Andres Cubas vs. Sergio Busquets. And the list goes on.
Safe to say, there are a lot of intriguing individual battles and matchups to monitor during the 2025 MLS Cup final, which pits a star-studded Inter Miami side against an upstart Vancouver Whitecaps team at Chase Stadium on Saturday.
MLS CUP FINAL PREVIEW 👀
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) December 5, 2025
Where do the Vancouver Whitecaps have the advantage over Inter Miami? 📈#VWFC | #InterMiami | #MLSCup pic.twitter.com/UWAU1HzyfV
Naturally, however, the big names are expected to steal the show in this match, and for good reason.
After an excellent individual season, Lionel Messi would love nothing more than to win his first MLS Cup - certainly, he’s been playing like a man on a mission in these playoffs, as he and his side look to avenge their first-round upset against Atlanta United in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs.
Similarly, Thomas Müller and the Whitecaps are looking to avenge a similar first-round exit from last year, although he wasn’t around for that defeat, having joined the club this past summer. Despite that, he hasn’t wasted much time in becoming a crucial player on these Whitecaps - and it doesn’t hurt that he’s got a lot of history against Messi, which has grown into its own storyline this week.
At the same time, while this matchup has understandably been pitted as a battle of ‘Messi vs. Müller’, that line of thinking is also a grave injustice to these two teams, who are deserving finalists and have reached this final off the back of solid collective performances all year long.
Neither side is here because one player dragged them here - these were two of the top teams in MLS by a lot of metrics in the regular season, and they’ve done well to build off that in the playoffs. For example, it’s worth noting that these two teams were #1 and #2 in all of MLS in terms of goal difference in the regular season - and #1 and #3 in terms of expected goal difference - showing that they’re well-balanced units that do good work on both sides of the ball.
Here's a chart that highlights the top teams in terms of xG for and against, with teams that are best at both being closer to the top right corner. Fitting to see the Whitecaps and Miami both near that spot (American Soccer Analysis)
Because of that, this promises to be a fascinating tactical battle, one that’ll ask a lot of both head coaches, Miami’s Javier Mascherano and Vancouver’s Jesper Sørensen.
ON LOCATION 📍
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) December 5, 2025
Oliver Platt checks in from training in Florida as #VWFC prepare to take on Inter Miami, w/ Tristan Blackmon no longer suspended, Thomas Müller in good spirits, and Ryan Gauld back fit, too 💪
BUT... could Miami be without Tadeo Allende for the MLS Cup final? 👀 pic.twitter.com/HoZrU6YHs1
Sticking with the Whitecaps, however, the big thing to watch will be whether or not they can replicate the success they had against Miami in the Concacaf Champions Cup semi-finals, however, as they cruised to an impressive 5-1 aggregate victory in that tie.
Surprisingly, they did so by shifting away from what’s worked so well for them all season, too. Instead of holding onto the ball, using their suffocating and controlling possession game to frustrate Miami, they sat back and hit them on the counter across 180 minutes of play.
As a result, they held just over 33% of possession in leg one and 42% of possession in leg two, yet were able to win the xG battle 2.87-2.44 over the two matches en route to their 5-1 victory.
They did benefit from some good fortune, no doubt - the Whitecaps were extremely ruthless with their chances in front of goal, and somehow kept Lionel Messi off the scoresheet in both games - but they did what they needed to and emerged as deserved victors.
Now, while a lot has changed since that game, for both teams, that victory could prove to be pivotal heading into this final - certainly, it has helped the Whitecaps shed the fear factor that Miami can sometimes hold over their opponents due to the starpower that they carry.
“We feel very confident about that,” Whitecaps defender Mathías Laborda said of facing Miami again. “We had those games in the middle of the season against them; they are not that different since. So yeah, we feel pretty good.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean that they’re minimizing the threat that Miami can offer - quite the opposite, actually - but they’ll now be able to tackle any plan to stop Messi and company with confidence, knowing that they’ve done it before, on two different occasions.
“The threat that they bring is obvious; with the individuals that they have, they can make a bit of magic out of nothing,” Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld said of Miami. “They’re the kind of players you can keep quiet for eight, nine minutes, and then they’ll just spark into life. So it’ll be about staying switched on and doing our job for 90 or 120 minutes, whatever it is we need to do - we've just got to trust our game.”
“It’s about the collective, being a unit, and defending (together), and there’s not much more to it,” Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berahalter added. 
Now, any cynical individual might point out that the fact that the Whitecaps have had that experience against Miami could also work against them, too - it’s hard to imagine a world where Messi goes a third game without a goal or an assist against the Whitecaps, for example.
At the same time, the Whitecaps aren’t too worried about that, as their focus lies on controlling what they can control in this final, and that’s their game plan.
They’re well aware of the improvements this Miami team has made as of late, as they’ve become a lot more robust in midfield since the arrival of Rodrigo De Paul, and they’ve injected more speed in their lineup in the form of Mateo Silvetti and Tadeo Allende, who stepped up for a suspended Luis Suárez earlier in the playoffs and unlocked a new level to this team - one that has kept Suárez as a supersub since his return.
In a sense, though, those improvements offer a big reason why the Whitecaps will be more focused on perfecting their game plan than nullifying Miami’s - this Miami side is a lot more complete than the one they faced back in April, as that old Miami side has some glaring holes.
Getting closer. ⌛️
— Major League Soccer 🏆 (@MLS) December 4, 2025
Watch MLS Cup pres. by Audi on Saturday, 2:30pm ET on Apple TV + FOX + TSN: https://t.co/rYcjDcwKCm pic.twitter.com/80dPHkCVod
During that last meeting, the Whitecaps were able to sacrifice their possession play because that allowed them to turn the game into a track meet, which played into their hands, as they feasted on Miami’s older and slower legs when the game opened up. That’s part of the reason why the Whitecaps won despite the xG being relatively close - it seemed like every chance of theirs was a big one due to how open Miami’s midfield and defence was, whereas Miami had to grind hard just to earn decent opportunities against an organized Whitecaps defensive unit.
Simply put, it was a tactical masterclass by the Whitecaps, who caught Miami completely by surprise in the tie.
This time, though, Miami has the horses to go stride-for-stride with the Whitecaps in any potential track meet, so it’ll be in the Whitecaps' best interests to hold onto the ball and break down Miami with patient play - something they’ve done all year, to be fair.
“They’ve got more endurance around Messi, and also some speed up top,” Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen explained.
“We have to see how we can come up with a scheme where we have the right pressure on the ball, but also protect the spaces that we believe are dangerous. Of course, it’s going to be difficult. because they have a good team and they have great players, but we’re here for a reason, we believe in ourselves, and the group is confident.”
“They’ve been pretty decent,” Müller added. “In their last few matches, they scored a lot of goals, and they’ve scored a lot of fantastic goals, too. So we know what to expect from them. But as I've already said, we are focusing on playing our game, we have a lot of belief in ourselves.”
Plus, to stick with the Whitecaps, there’s a reason why they were one of the top sides in MLS in the regular season - they’ve got a few weapons of their own that Miami will have to be fearful of, too.
In terms of individual talent, any one of Müller, Brian White, Ali Ahmed, Emmanuel Sabbi, Ryan Gauld, Jayden Nelson and Kenji Cabrera can take over a game in the attack, giving the Whitecaps impressive offensive depth, while the midfield pair of Sebastian Berhalter and Andrés Cubas is also a big strength of theirs. 
Here's another chart that highlights both team's excellence, as it looks at their Goals added value on both sides of the ball. For those unfamiliar with G+, it looks at what teams are the best at doing things that lead to goals for, while limiting goals against, tracking offensive and defensive actions to do so (American Soccer Analysis)
Plus, at the back, the Whitecaps have had a knack of remaining solid defensively no matter who plays in front of goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka (who has also been excellent in the playoffs), which is why they’ve been able to reach this final despite suffering an eyewatering array of injuries and suspensions to their defenders over the last few months.
Yet, that’s the big superpower of this team - while they’re a side filled with excellent individuals, this is a team that plays at their best when the collective is strong, as they’re an incredibly tight-knit group with great chemistry on and off the pitch, which has allowed them to overcome all sorts of adversity this season, on and off the pitch.
Don Garber on the Vancouver Whitecaps' stadium situation & future, via Oliver Platt 🎙️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) December 5, 2025
"The MLS team, its owners, its fans, its players have done everything to earn the support they're not getting today from the city and the province. That's an untenable situation."
Garber… pic.twitter.com/StdbJ37k2U
There’s a reason why the Whitecaps have been able to get away with using someone as good as Gauld, who is a Designated Player and one of the best players in MLS, as a supersub since he’s returned from a long-term injury - most other teams in the league would’ve shoehorned him right back into a starting role upon his return.
“Everyone's been ready when they've been called upon,” Gauld explained. “Everyone's gotten their chance and done well when they got that chance. I would say there are no egos in our dressing room, as everyone puts the team first.”
“That’s been huge throughout the year, as people have been in and out of the team, but everyone stayed ready, and when they’ve gotten a chance, they’ve taken it. There are a lot of boys who deserve to be involved on the weekend. But first and foremost, it’s always about the team and about the club, and making sure we get the job done.”
With all that in mind, it’ll be fascinating to see who now emerges as the protagonist of this final. Can Messi finally get one over the Whitecaps? Or can Vancouver use their strong team-first approach to overwhelm Miami’s cast of superstars?
Either way, this promises to be a fascinating matchup, one that pits not just two of the best teams in MLS this season, but two teams who will one day sit among the best all-time individual MLS teams when the dusts settles - although to that last point, where each side sits in that pantheon might be determined by who ends up lifting MLS Cup at the end of this final on Saturday, however.
Yet, that’s the beauty of a game like this, one that is more than worthy of a final, making it extra enjoyable for all involved. Ultimately, a game like this is supposed to be a showcase of the best-of-the-best, who are vying to be the best, and there are a lot of reasons why you can say this matchup lives up to that notion.
“It’s the MLS Cup final, there should be good players going up against you, and you should be up against a very good team,” Sørensen said, matter-of-factly. “It’s a little bit more balanced, this Miami team that we see now. They have been very good as of late, and they've had a great season.”
