{"id":658909,"date":"2025-09-01T01:13:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T05:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=658909"},"modified":"2025-09-01T10:56:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T14:56:52","slug":"inter-miami-fails-to-impress-in-a-must-win-game-seattle-sounders-win-2025-leagues-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2025\/09\/01\/inter-miami-fails-to-impress-in-a-must-win-game-seattle-sounders-win-2025-leagues-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Inter Miami Fails to Impress in a Must Win Game, Seattle Sounders Win 2025 Leagues Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The sportsbooks did have the Seattle Sounders favored to win the 2025 Leagues Cup, as the home team at Seattle&#8217;s Lumen field, but many MLS and global soccer fans still had plenty of belief that Lionel Messi&#8217;s Inter Miami would rise to the occasion and win just their second trophy in Messi&#8217;s tenure (the other being 2023 Leagues Cup).<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the match was all Seattle as Inter Miami was left looking for answers in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/en\/sports\/20250901-seattle-sounders-stun-messi-s-inter-miami-3-0-to-lift-leagues-cup\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">3-0 win for Seattle<\/a>. A post-match brawl sparked by (another) disgraceful moment from veteran Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez also marred the game, as an all-MLS final in the Leagues Cup didn&#8217;t prevent massive attendance at Seattle&#8217;s stadium that they share with the NFL&#8217;s Seahawks. The growth of soccer (futbol) in North America continues apace, but rather than witnessing Messi and friends triumph, local fans got to see Paul Rothrock, young Mexican national Obed Vargas, and the rest of the Sounders triumph in a season when both teams participated in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.<\/p>\n<h3>The Legacy of the Sounders<\/h3>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2233099760\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/2233099760?et=zcCAd-HNQH5sW3aB_cF1BA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=3WjpnChnE2W4oIxsF_ff12E3wwSt9HTt9VKq88dSuCw=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Sounders are one of the most storied franchises in North American soccer, launched in 1974 as part of NASL, the Sounders joined MLS, launching in 2009. In that time, they have put together one of the best playoff records in MLS, won four MLS Cups, a Supporters Shield, multiple US Open Cups, and the 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup, a major benchmark achievement for an MLS Club (that granted them a spot in the Club World Cup). The Sounders are one of the most decorated clubs on the continent, and their jerseys may not be quite as iconic without the XBOX logo, but their confidence remains.<\/p>\n<p>Seattle native Brian Schmetzer, the Sounders manager, made a bold claim that Paul Rothrock, not Lionel Messi, would be the standout player in the Leagues Cup final, and he was proven right, as Rothrock scored the final goal to secure the 3-0 result after Osaze De Rosario, and later Alex Roldan had added the first two goals.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FOXSoccer\/status\/1962314487316496537\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The jersey swap announced by the Sounders<\/a>, exchanging Inter Miami jerseys (the MLS most visible kit), for Rothrock jerseys was taken up by at least 100 fans according to media reports, and in a way, it was a passing of the guard.<\/p>\n<p>Having built their club from the grassroots up, the Sounders will use this Leagues Cup title to make a push towards the MLS title in 2025, and the next CONCACAF Champions Cup. They won the Leagues Cup while missing some of their best players.<\/p>\n<h3>Javier Mascherano Looks Lost at Inter Miami<\/h3>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2230505922\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/2230505922?et=LqRIhTs4SmJS__2ife0diw&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=ToqLp-c4xUrqZLqU3AMq1S3pKd9JJZj36uiReCnkgxc=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Inter Miami is once again in a bit of crisis. Tata Martino was sacked at the end of the last MLS season, as the club won the Supporters Shield (most points in the regular season) and claimed a place in the FIFA Club World Cup in the process, but were eliminated in the MLS playoffs by an unheralded Atlanta United team that barely made the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>A surprising run in the Club World Cup under new coach Javier Mascherano saw Inter Miami reach the knockout phase before being wrecked by a talented PSG side, as Messi&#8217;s former team showed out. Having dealt with fixture congestion, Inter Miami are far off their points total from last season in MLS and are relatively unlikely to finish as the top team in their conference.<\/p>\n<p>The club has been active in the transfer market, predominantly composed of non-US players, Inter Miami just loaned American midfielder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/sports\/soccer\/benjamin-cremaschi-to-join-italian-club-parma-on-loan-from-inter-miami\/ar-AA1LByKK\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Benjamin Cremaschi<\/a> to Parma in Italy, former starting goalkeeper Drake Callender was sent to Charlotte. Argentine international Rodrigo de Paul was part of the clear out of Atletico Madrid, and came in as the starting midfielder in Miami, and much criticism has been leveled at Tadeo Allende who had a poor game in the Leagues Cup final and missed a clear scoring opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>The Argentine Mascherano looked out of ideas in a critical game tonight, his substitutions didn&#8217;t work, and Messi and his teammates missed clear scoring chances while not being able to lock down the back. The result was similar to Inter Miami&#8217;s crash out in April to Vancouver, another west coast MLS rival, in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals, where they lost 5-1 overall, compared to 3-0 in a single leg game tonight. Monterrey Rayados of Liga MX defeated Inter Miami in the 2024-25 Champions Cup in another must-win elimination game where Miami looked and felt flat.<\/p>\n<p>This Leagues Cup, Inter Miami won two games against Liga MX sides (Atlas and Pumas) along with a draw against Necaxa (they won the shootout). Playing at home, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2025\/08\/21\/leagues-cup-disaster-for-liga-mx-as-messi-less-inter-miami-defeat-tigres\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">they scored a big win over Tigres<\/a> UANL 2-1, led by top tournament scorer Angel Correa, also from Argentina and a former Atletico Madrid star. Then they dispatched rivals Orlando City 3-1 in the semifinals.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Inter Miami CF vs. Club Tigres | Leagues Cup | Luis Su\u00e1rez Brace!\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JSwaY1v-keM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The Sounders needed penalty kicks to win a scoreless game over Puebla in the quarterfinals, after an undefeated group stage that saw them rout one of the top <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2025\/08\/09\/leagues-cup-struggles-to-shine-mls-vs-ligamx\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Liga MX sides<\/a>, Cruz Azul, 7-0. They then defeated west coast rivals LA Galaxy 2-0 before continuing their streak of not conceding goals with the win over Miami.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cruz Azul vs. Seattle Sounders FC | Leagues Cup | 7-Goal RAMPAGE!\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4_O396AdLBQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Luis Suarez Sparks an Ugly Brawl<\/h3>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2233100113\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/2233100113?et=AxaPELZzQ7VDagQ4MVk2zQ&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=XIJZ9XtQYveKO80KJWjYJJvZlr8CkeH-ezKvMYNNOs0=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The poor play on the field and the lack of ideas from Inter Miami was expected to the be post-match headline, but Luis Suarez changed that. After the match, he spit on a Sounders assistant coach. Punches were thrown by players including Sergio Busquets in a post-match melee. From <a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/soccer\/punches-thrown-inter-miami-vs-seattle-sounders-ends-in-a-brutal-fight\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Athlon Sports<\/a> <em>&#8220;Inter Miami defender Maximiliano Falc\u00f3n had Cody Baker in a chokehold while both teams exchanged insults. From that moment, tensions escalated: Miami center-back Tom\u00e1s \u00c1vila threw the first punch, and Luis Su\u00e1rez spat at the opposing team\u2019s coaching staff.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Suarez, who has had numerous incidents and fights with opposing players and fans over his career, developed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/onsi\/athlete-lifestyle\/news\/luis-suarez-spitting-incident-repeats-ugly-biting-history-inter-miami-star\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reputation for biting opponents<\/a>, and his attitude still hasn&#8217;t mellowed with age. There is a significant and appropriate demand that Inter Miami players who started the fight, be sanctioned by MLS and soccer authorities.<\/p>\n<p>While Seattle Sounders will use this tournament as a launching pad for their greater ambitions, Inter Miami finds itself in turmoil and chaos, with Messi headed to play, perhaps, his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/story\/_\/id\/46097504\/lionel-messi-world-cup-qualifier-argentina-last-home-retire\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">final World Cup qualifying game<\/a> for Argentina in Buenos Aires. When he returns to Miami, his club will need to be in a clearer state of mind, if anything is to be achieved this season.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: Imago Images Photo by Jeff Halstead\/Icon Sportswire<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The sportsbooks did have the Seattle Sounders favored to win the 2025 Leagues Cup, as the home team at Seattle&#8217;s Lumen field, but many MLS and global soccer fans still had plenty of belief that Lionel Messi&#8217;s Inter Miami would rise to the occasion and win just their second trophy in Messi&#8217;s tenure (the other [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1442,"featured_media":658910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,30],"tags":[32519,32586,4621,2340,502,32518,41,511,32563,624,32562,32561,2570,337],"class_list":["post-658909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-2025-leagues-cup","tag-brian-schmetzer","tag-inter-miami","tag-javier-mascherano","tag-jordi-alba","tag-leagues-cup","tag-lionel-messi","tag-luis-suarez","tag-maxi-falcon","tag-mls","tag-obed-vargas","tag-paul-rothrock","tag-seattle-sounders","tag-sergio-busquets"],"modified_by":"Steen Kirby","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=658909"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":659027,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658909\/revisions\/659027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/658910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=658909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=658909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=658909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}