The Final With a Story Still Unresolved

The 2025 MLS Cup will be played this Saturday, December 6, at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, where Inter Miami hosts Vancouver Whitecaps in a historic showdown for U.S. soccer. It will be the last official match ever played in this venue before the move to Miami Freedom Park—an ideal stage to crown a new champion. But this final brings more than a trophy at stake: behind it lies a short, unexpectedly intense, and contrast-filled history that will be impossible to ignore once both teams step onto the field.

A Young but Fierce History

Although Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps have only faced each other three times, their brief history already includes moments that fuel an unforeseen rivalry. Their first meeting came in the 2024 MLS season, when the Florida side stunned everyone with a 2–1 away win—an early statement that suggested Miami might dominate this matchup moving forward. It wasn’t a duel with much background, but it was enough to ignite a competitive spark between two conferences that rarely collide with this level of friction.

That inaugural clash left many believing Miami had the tools to control the series in the future. However, that perception changed dramatically a year later, when fate brought them together on a much bigger stage.

The Concachampions Tie That Changed Everything

The real shift in this rivalry came in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals, where Vancouver delivered one of the tournament’s biggest blows. First, in Canada, the Whitecaps claimed a commanding 2–0 victory, defending with an intensity that completely dismantled Miami’s attack. That win didn’t just give them the advantage—it planted doubts in a Miami side that had been projected to fight for every major trophy of the year.

The return leg in Florida was even more stunning. Vancouver won again, this time 3–1, securing a spot in the international final and eliminating an Inter Miami team widely considered the favorite. With goals from Brian White, Sebastian Berhalter, and Pedro Vite, the Canadians marked a turning point. And although Vite won’t feature in the MLS Cup after his transfer to Pumas UNAM, his impact remains vivid in recent memory.

What It Means for the Final

Now, with the 2025 MLS Cup on the horizon, both clubs enter their fourth encounter under very different circumstances. Inter Miami has rediscovered its best version months after that elimination, while Vancouver added Thomas Müller, a signing that reshaped their attack and elevated their competitive ceiling.

The head-to-head favors the Whitecaps, but Saturday’s final unfolds under a new context, with a different rhythm and new protagonists. The first three chapters built the tension; the fourth will decide whether that history stands… or changes forever.