Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are one win away from the first MLS Cup title in their history, and at 38, the Argentine shows no signs of slowing down. The Herons will host the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup final at Chase Stadium on Saturday as they look to secure a trophy to end their season on a strong note. Adjustments by Javier Mascherano have the team firing on all cylinders, but during these playoffs, one thing has been made clear: Miami will go as far as Messi can take them.
This is obviously no surprise. Even at his age, Messi was far and away the best player in MLS this season. He led the league in goals, with 29, five more than anybody else, assists with 19 (tied with Anders Dreyer), and shots with 157. Of those goals, 28 were non-penalty goals, an MLS record. He did this all while only playing in only 28 games in a 34-game regular season schedule. Messi may be 38 years old, but he remains Lionel Messi, an unstoppable force the likes of which the world, let alone MLS, has never seen.
And then the playoffs started, and things got even better.
How to watch Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, odds
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 6 | Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Chase Stadium — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- TV: FOX | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Inter Miami -145; Draw +320; Vancouver Whitecaps +310
With 13 goal contributions during the playoffs, no player has more in MLS history, and Messi’s six goals are second to only his teammate Tadeo Allende in the playoffs, while his seven assists (including secondary assists) lead all players. He’s done this in just five games, but it’s unheard of for one player to have the level of involvement that Messi has. Miami’s first 12 goals in the playoffs were either scored or assisted by Messi, the most of any player.
A team has never won MLS Cup with one player contributing to all their goals, and thanks to Allende emerging as a worthy sidekick, Miami won’t have to try and become the first as they seek the first title in club history. It’s still the Messi show, though, as he has made the unheard of seem regular, and this run is no different. While the league MVP hasn’t been announced yet, it’d be a surprise for anyone other than Messi to win the award, as he’s arguably having the best season of anyone to ever come through MLS.
Messi may not have a trophy to mark what he’s done yet, but with Miami becoming the first MLS team to ever defeat a team from a European top-five league when they triumphed over Porto during the Club World Cup, this is a team showing what the possibilities are for MLS, and a large reason for that is Messi’s impact so let’s take a deeper look at some numbers that have defined the season so far.
48: Goal Contributions during the MLS regular season
With 29 goals and 19 assists during the season, only one player has had more, and that’s Carlos Vela in 2019. Vela had a whopping 49 goal contributions with 34 goals and 15 assists, being involved in more than a goal per game. Those two stand alone, and even with the league including secondary assists in their numbers, this is an astounding figure. It’s worth noting that, excluding secondary assists, Messi jumps ahead of Vela on the goal contribution front, as 16 of Messi’s 19 assists were primary assists while only 10 of Vela’s 15 were. Then there’s the question of penalties. Vela scored a whopping nine goals from the penalty spot; Messi scored one.
No one has been able to stop Messi when he’s on the pitch, and even when he has to pick his spots to get forward, the Argentine’s ability to float into space is unmatched. Having a player like this on the team also opens up opportunities for those around them, which should bring no surprise that Messi’s 13 goal contributions during this playoff run are the most of any team.
10: Times that Messi and Thomas Muller have squared off
While MLS Cup will be the first time that they’ve met in MLS play, for club and country, they have an extensive history. Muller has won seven matches while Messi has won three, and none ended in a draw. They’ve only met once with a trophy on the line in 2014, when Muller’s German national team defeated Messi and the Argentine national team to win the World Cup in Brazil.
8: Consecutive matches with a goal or an assist
To have so many goal involvements, a player needs to be consistent, and of course, Messi has done just that. You have to go back to September 30, facing the Chicago Fire, to find he last time that Messi hasn’t been involved in a goal. Since then, he has had 11 goals and has 12 assists. Quite some balance, but in the 32 MLS matches that Messi has featured in this season, including the playoffs, he has only failed to register a goal contribution in five matches. Miami has also failed to win any of those matches, losing four and drawing one. So it’s simple: if Vancouver stop Messi, they can win the match. Just, statistics say that it’ll be quite hard to do. New York City FC did what they could to contain the Argentine, and he still found a way to influence the match while others stepped up around him.
0: Trophies this season
While the Messi era has brought Miami a Supporters’ Shield and Leagues Cup trophy, this is one number that the Herons are trying to change, and the Vancouver Whitecaps will stand in their way of doing that. Neither Miami nor Vancouver have won the MLS Cup before, but that doesn’t mean Miami won’t have enough experience to get them through the match in front of their home fans. Looking to not only send Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets into retirement on a high note, but also close out Chase Stadium with a trophy, all of the pressure will be on the Herons to get the job done.
That’s part of why the playoffs have had a different intensity for them. Last season’s first round exit to Atlanta United is firmly in the past, but this season also isn’t a successful one without a trophy. Just having Messi in the side raises expectations for Inter Miami above what has ever been expected from any MLS side, and they can reach those, but not winning MLS Cup will only bring more questions to the side.
