And then there were two, as Inter Miami CF will take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in the 2025 MLS Cup final on Saturday.
Eastern Conference champion Miami booked its place in the MLS decider with a sumptuous 5-1 win over New York City FC. Not to be outdone, Thomas Müller‘s Whitecaps beat expansion side San Diego FC 3-1 to win the Western Conference for the very first time.
But what to make of it all? ESPN turned to Cesar Hernandez and Joseph Lowery to sum up the best and worst of the conference finals.
Talk of the round
Inter Miami’s defense stays on a trophy-winning course
Say what you will about New York City FC missing key pieces in Saturday’s Eastern Conference final, but one thing is certain: Past versions of Inter Miami still would’ve crumbled under the weight of Pascal Jansen’s understaffed attack.
Even without star Costa Rica striker Alonso Martínez bearing down on them, it’s easy to picture Inter Miami from, say, the spring when it lost four games in five across all competitions, giving up a sloppy goal and falling short of MLS Cup. Only seven teams allowed more non-penalty xG in the regular season than Miami, according to FBref.
– Thomas Müller says MLS Cup final not ‘me against Lionel Messi’
– USMNT star Tyler Adams scores from near halfway line for Bournemouth
– USMNT 2026 World Cup Big Board 3.0: Reyna, Scally back in the fold
For most of this season, then, Miami has been carried by one of the league’s greatest-ever attacks — and held back by a wildly lackluster defense. That is, until the postseason kicked off.
Now following Miami’s 5-1 win over New York City in the conference final round, this team has allowed 1.0 xG or less in four of their last five games for the first time since Lionel Messi and friends joined in the summer of 2023. With dialed-in pressing, solid mid-block defending, and goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo stepping up in big moments, Inter Miami’s defense is no longer a hindrance. It’s a significant help, and one that could see them lift MLS Cup.. — Lowery
Vancouver qualifies for third final of 2025
A Canadian Championship, a second-place finish in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and now, a place in the MLS Cup final — not a bad year for Vancouver.
Depending on who you ask — specifically, yours truly — Jesper Sørensen should have won MLS’ Coach of the Year award, and Saturday’s dominant 3-1 away win over San Diego in the Western Conference final perfectly illustrated just how fine-tuned his roster has been for an extended period of time.
It’s going to be an uphill battle against Miami this upcoming weekend in the much-awaited championship game, but no matter what happens, 2025 will go down as a massive step forward for the franchise. Adding in someone like Müller also speaks volumes about the ambitions of the front office that made headlines for one of the league’s biggest mid-season signings.
Let’s not forget about the expectations that MLS experts had for Vancouver heading into this year either. — Hernandez
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San Diego FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from San Diego FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 11/29/2025
MVP of the round
Tadeo Allende | Inter Miami
With his hat trick against New York City FC, Allende etched his name into the MLS record books. His eight goals in this year’s postseason tied the league record for a player in a single playoff campaign set by Carlos Ruiz back in 2002.
While Messi had a relatively quiet evening at least by the No. 10’s personal standard, Allende brought dynamic and varied attacking play to the table. From his right wing position in Inter Miami’s 4-3-3 attacking setup, the 26-year-old slammed the ball past United States starting goalkeeper Matt Freese for his opener, pulled off a finesse-filled header to secure a brace, and raced in behind to send the Chase Stadium crowd into a frenzy in the game’s closing moments to complete his hat trick.
Currently on loan through the end of 2025 from LaLiga club Celta Vigo, Inter Miami has reportedly begun negotiating to keep Allende for next season. With performances like the one he put together on Saturday — and with how effective Allende has been playing off Messi throughout this postseason — it’s easy to see why Inter Miami are eager to keep him. — Lowery
Ali Ahmed | Vancouver Whitecaps
Looking like the Canadian Messi, Ahmed carved through San Diego’s backline on Saturday like a proficient bordertown taquero making al pastor tacos. The winger was a joy to watch in the Western Conference final and stepped up with an assist, a hockey assist, and a shot that led to an own-goal for the opposition.
What more could you want from the player who also recovered the ball five times?
As part of the relentless energy of a pressing Vancouver, the 25-year-old not only stunned San Diego, but also the local crowd at Snapdragon that suddenly fell silent after a 2-0 deficit after just 11 minutes.
Should we expect more going forward in the final?
Let’s not forget that in the last title game that the Whitecaps found themselves in — admittedly against a more modest CPL side like Vancouver FC in the Canadian Championship last month — Ahmed scored twice. Let’s see if he continues that momentum. — Hernandez
Moment of the round
Alba’s flick to Segovia on Miami’s game-killing fourth goal
With, in all likelihood, less than 100 minutes remaining in his professional career, Jordi Alba didn’t want to waste an opportunity to produce a special moment in Inter Miami’s Eastern Conference Final victory over New York City FC. After all, the left back has always been more playmaker than defender. At Barcelona, it was his attacking quality that made him a mainstay in one of the greatest teams this sport has ever seen. And at Inter Miami? It was that same quality that saw him shovel dirt on top of New York City’s coffin on Saturday in the form of a delightful back-heeled assist.
After getting up to a top speed that we’ve rarely seen from the Spaniard since he arrived in Florida, Alba raced into the box, received the ball from teammate Telasco Segovia, and managed to pull off one of the passes of the season for Inter Miami’s fourth goal.
Alba, who announced his retirement earlier this year, entered the latter stages of the postseason knowing that every game could be his last. With that dazzling assist, he made sure that Saturday’s clash with New York City wasn’t. — Lowery
Jordi Alba backheel assist on repeat 😱
Telasco Segovia makes it 4-1 Miami! // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/1uGSmRPFIM
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 30, 2025
San Diego’s own-goal stumble
At first, all signs pointed to the soccer tides working in the favor of San Diego.
They had another sold-out crowd at Snapdragon Stadium, an extra defensive boost with zero goals allowed in their previous two playoff games, and the Cinderella narrative of MLS newcomers seeking a championship in their debut year.
Then arrived Vancouver’s first goal through Brian White in the eighth minute. Arguably, a simple moment to shake off for the Western Conference No. 1 seed — it wasn’t the first time that San Diego had found themselves with an early deficit. There were no missteps from the local Frontera SD supporters group that continued their boisterous chants, that is, until the local team provided another destructive misstep of their own.
When Ahmed forced the own-goal to double the Whitecaps’ lead to 2-0, San Diego’s young defensive lineup looked overwhelmed as they scrambled and pinballed a shot into their own net.
More goals would be added later, but that undoubtedly solidified where the result would inevitably head. Credit should be given to the debutants San Diego for making it this far in their inaugural run, it’s probably MLS’ greatest expansion year of all time, but that moment foreshadowed how things would go on Saturday. — Hernandez
