Messi puts Miami in the pink

Some say it's actually 48 because MLS awards a trophy for winning conference titles as well. He's now won at least 21 titles in one-match final situations, many of them with the core of this team — Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Javier Mascherano, his longtime Barcelona teammates.

Busquets and Alba are retiring and get to step away as champions. Suarez's future is uncertain. Mascherano is the coach now, one who changed Inter Miami's lineup and tactics halfway through the season — his first one leading the club — with this moment in mind.

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 back-to-back titles in mind.

"He's not just here to enjoy living in Miami," Beckham said. "His wife and kids love Miami, but he's come here to win, and that's really what Leo is all about. He wants to win. He's got that dedication, the loyalty that he shows to his teammates, to the city, to the club. Leo is a winner. It's simple as that."

Inter Miami went 1-0 up 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 — a huge moment in the game.

"It was very close, and I think it could have been different," Vancouver coach Jesper Sorensen said.

"But that is football."

Mascherano recognized the moment of fortune, noting: "Maybe that was the luck we needed to be champions."

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 two-and-a-half years in the making. The team stayed on the field for more than an hour afterward, taking pictures with friends and family.

"This is the moment I had been waiting for, and that we, as a team, were waiting for," Messi said. "It's very beautiful for all of us. They deserved it."

Agencies Via Xinhua