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Lumen Field shook under the roar of 69,314 fans — the largest soccer crowd in Washington State history — as the Seattle Sounders dismantled Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 3–0 to capture the 2025 Leagues Cup. The trophy doesn’t just add another line to Seattle’s cabinet. It completes the set: the Sounders are now the first MLS club to lift every major North American title.
First Half: De Rosario Makes His Mark
Against a Miami side led by Messi, Luis Suárez, and Rodrigo De Paul, Seattle refused to be star-struck. They pressed high, stayed compact, and struck first. In the 26th minute, Osaze De Rosario soared at the back post to bury Alex Roldan’s whipped cross — with Jesús Ferreira cleverly slipping in the secondary assist. It was De Rosario’s fourth goal of the tournament, a strike that underscored Seattle’s ability to blend academy talent with astute acquisitions.
Messi flashed brilliance, Suárez drifted dangerously, but Andrew Thomas stood tall in goal, foreshadowing the Best Goalkeeper award he’d collect by night’s end.
Second Half: Ruthlessness vs. Wastefulness
Miami came out swinging. Tadeo Allende squandered a sitter in the 60th minute, and those missed chances proved fatal.
Seattle, by contrast, punished every mistake. Substitute Georgi Minoungou drew a penalty in the 82nd after Yannick Bright clattered him. Roldan converted with ice-cold precision. Then, in the 87th, hometown hero Paul Rothrock sealed it, curling a ball across the goal for the 3–0 dagger.
For the first time in 16 Leagues Cup matches, Miami fired blanks.
Aftermath: Glory and Controversy
What should have been a coronation turned into a disaster. A bench-clearing melee erupted at the whistle. Reports alleged Suárez spat on a Seattle staffer — a flashpoint that drew condemnation and left Miami head coach Javier Mascherano shrugging it off as “provocation.” His lack of accountability will fuel debate as Miami’s season continues.
Sounders Legacy, Cemented
- Man of the Match: Alex Roldan (1 goal, 2 assists).
- Best Player, Leagues Cup 2025: Pedro de la Vega.
- Best Goalkeeper: Andrew Thomas, who kept two clean sheets.
Seattle’s 15–2 goal differential across the tournament wasn’t dominance. It was annihilation.
By adding the Leagues Cup to 4 U.S. Open Cups, 2 MLS Cups, 1 Supporters’ Shield, and a Concacaf Champions Cup, Seattle now stands as the most decorated MLS club of the modern era. Both they and Miami head into the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, though Seattle earns a bye to the Round of 16.
Why This Night Matters
This wasn’t just another MLS vs. Messi storyline. It was a statement. Seattle proved that a disciplined, tactically balanced team with depth can overwhelm even the game’s biggest names. At the league level, the Sounders provided MLS with a blueprint: you don’t need Galácticos to win if your system is stronger than their star power.
For Miami, the questions linger: Does Messi have enough left to drag this roster to silverware, or will the star power remain more show than substance?
