Lionel Messi and Inter Miami had chances but couldn't contain a clinical Seattle team in front of a record home crowd

Lionel Messi had scored 33 goals across 33 club finals. But in his 34th, he was silenced as the Seattle Sounders stunned Inter Miami 3-0 in front of a raucous home crowd to lift the Leagues Cup trophy in the 2025 final on Sunday night.

Lumen Field delivered an electric atmosphere, with a record crowd of 69,314  – surpassing the old mark of 69,274. And, in a rare sight, most of that support was for the home side rather than the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. Seattle fed off it from the start.

The Sounders pressed immediately and nearly struck inside three minutes. Osaze De Rosario, son of MLS legend Dwayne, found himself unmarked on a free kick just outside the box but sent his effort wide. Minutes later, Messi slipped into the area with a good look at goal, only for Oded Vargas to recover brilliantly with a sliding challenge.

De Rosario made amends in the 26th minute, capping a flowing sequence involving Pedro de la Vega, Jesus Ferreira, and Christian Roldan with a thumping header from Roldan’s pinpoint cross. Ferreira nearly doubled the lead before the break, smashing a shot off the post from close range.

Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano switched from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 after halftime, and the Herons immediately looked more dangerous. Messi had a golden chance to equalize three minutes into the second half, but after being teed up perfectly by Luis Suárez, he skied his shot into the stands.

At 56 minutes, Mascherano doubled down by pulling defenders for more attackers – a gamble that backfired. The game opened up, and Seattle pounced. Paul Rothrock nearly scored after exploiting Sergio Busquets’ move to centerback.

Brian Schmetzer introduced Georgi Minoungou, who made an instant impact, winning a penalty from Yannick Bright that Alex Roldan dispatched coolly past Oscar Ustari. Rothrock made no mistake with his second big chance, racing clear on a counter to bury Seattle’s third and seal the Leagues Cup title. 

A brawl ensued after the game when Suarez appeared to put Vargas in a headlock. Both benches emptied, with players and coaches throwing punches. The sequence lasted for about two minutes before things ultimately calmed down, and both sides claimed their medals in the trophy presentation.

With the win, Schmetzer becomes the first manager to claim every major North American trophy, solidifying his place among the great American coaches. Both Seattle and Miami clinched berths in next year’s Champions Cup as a result of their participation in the final, along with the LA Galaxy as a result of their third-place game win.

GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Lumen Field. 

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Oscar Ustari (6/10):

Not much he could do with Seattle's opener. Made a crucial save on a one-on-one with Rothrock in the second half. 

Jordi Alba (6/10):

Solid but not his normal creative force in the final and Miami suffered as a result. 

Maxi Falcon (6/10):

Struggled initially in marking De Rosario, but more than made up for it in the second half. Made several important key plays for Inter Miami, including bailing out Busquets in the second half after he was easily beaten on defense. 

Gonzalo Lujan (5/10):

Miami couldn't contain De Rosario in the first half – despite Seattle scoring just one goal – and Lujan was part of the problem as he couldn't handle the physicality of the Sounders' striker. Pulled in the 56th minute as Mascherano made an attacking substitution with Telasco Segovia coming on. 

Ian Fray (6/10):

Effective but quiet night for the 23-year-old. Fray didn't make any mistakes, but didn't offer much on attack. Was brought off in the 70th minute for Fafa Picault in an attacking change. 

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Sergio Busquets (6/10):

Was a strong facilitator in the first half, then was moved to central defense in the second half as Mascherano wanted to go with a more attacking lineup. Showed his age against Seattle's pace and got a yellow card in the 69th minute. Was burned badly on a counterattack as Rothrock nearly scored after the former Barca star couldn't keep up. 

Yannick Bright (5/10):

Did the dirty work as always, but he will regret a costly mistake in bringing Minoungou down for a penalty. 

Rodrigo De Paul (7/10):

It was a tale of two halves. In the first, he looked completely lost as a wide player in a 4-4-2. But once shifted into a three-man central midfield after the break, he came alive. At Atlético Madrid, De Paul built his reputation as one of the world’s best in a central or defensive role, not on the wing. That’s been clear since he arrived in Miami, and it was especially obvious on Sunday. The moment he moved inside, he became far more effective.

Attack

Lionel Messi (6/10):

Quiet night for the usually unstoppable and inevitable star. Messi had no answers for Seattle's physicality or pace in recovery. His missed chance immediately after the break summed up his night. 

Luis Suarez (8/10):

One of his most effective nights as a Inter Miami player was perfect in link-up play and created chance after chance. The fact that he connected on three key passes – all in the box – tells an unfortunate story for Miami. They just weren't clinical enough. Suarez's rating would have been higher if it weren't for his postgame actions.

Tadeo Allende (5/10):

Went from wide midfielder to winger, but it didn't matter. He was invisible and had an easy chance, created by Suarez, and couldn't convert directly in front of goal. 

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Telasco Segovia (5/10):

Wasn't as direct as he typically is and didn't make much of an impact. 

Fafa Picault (5/10):

Brought some width, but that's about it. A quiet night from the Haiti international. 

Benjamin Cremaschi (NA):

Brought on with six minutes left for Bright, after he conceded the penalty. Didn't have much time to make an impact. 

Javier Mascherano (5/10):

Where to begin? The Argentine was clearly outcoached by Schmetzer, with Inter Miami unable to respond. More concerning was his insistence on starting De Paul as a wide midfielder. He did make a smart adjustment by shifting to a 4-3-3 in the second half, but then undercut his own team by stripping away defensive balance to chase the game. With Miami trailing by one, it came off as a desperate move. In the end, Mascherano seemed to coach his team out of a potential win.