MIAMI — Landing at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport two days before Saturday’s MLS Cup clash between Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps, two things have been made very clear.
Firstly, Art Basel — one of Miami’s biggest annual events — is in town. Described by organizers as the “leading global platform connecting collectors, galleries, and artists,” the fair has lured in Silicon Valley mega yachts, influencers, A-list celebrities, crypto bros and the like, all of whom have descended upon south Florida for a series of extravagant events. Second, but also just as noteworthy, the greatest artist in the history of soccer, Lionel Messi, will also be showcasing a local exhibit of his own.
“We know they have a very, very good team,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said about the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps, who will face FIFA World Cup-winner Messi and his team in Saturday’s MLS Cup final. “I don’t like to talk about some players because they have many, many good players. But ultimately, we have our tools to play our game and try to be better than them.”
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Call the 38-year-old Messi artistically mainstream, perhaps not pushing the envelope in the way he once did in his halcyon days at Barcelona, but he will still be front and center at Fort Lauderdale’s Chase Stadium this weekend. Walking through Florida ahead of the match, it’s obvious who the virtuoso will be in pursuit of another championship in an enviable and lengthy list for the Argentina captain. But doing so also ignores the avant-garde and disrupting newcomers.
“I think this match is great,” Vancouver forward Thomas Müller, a two-time UEFA Champions League winner, said. “I know you guys and the media and also MLS, it makes sense also to make a point with Messi and with myself and the bigger names, but I think it’s about two teams with a very attractive and good-looking playing style.
“It’s the perfect final in my opinion. I appreciate being part of it.”
Visiting fans are also doing their work. According to Vancouver Southsiders president Peter Czimmerman, nearly 1,000 Whitecaps supporters will be making the trip to Miami. On the flight over, Whitecaps fan Aaron Singh was beaming when talking to ESPN.
“[They’re] playing better,” Singh said about his favorite club, while on a connecting flight from Texas to Miami. “You only live once, you got to do it [travel to the game].”
For the aesthetically pleasing visitors that love to relentlessly press on the field, who could fault them for feeling confident? In fact, as of Thursday, they’d sold 16,000 tickets to a Vancouver watch party — only 5,000 short of Chase Stadium’s capacity.
On the pitch and heading into the MLS Cup final, Vancouver have only lost once in all competitions since November.
“The pressure is what it is,” Whitecaps and United States international midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said. “We’ve been ready for this this whole season and the pressures, it comes with it, you know; it’s a privilege and it’s fun, and our guys are going to lean into it and enjoy it. Home team, away team; I don’t think it matters. I think we just want to go out there and execute what we do.”
So who will be the prominent artist on Saturday? There’s much to be made about Messi’s crowd-pleasing late period — in fact, his 43 goals and 23 assists in 48 games have solidified him as the great single-season MLS player — and who could argue against his expressionist movement on the 115×75 grass canvas?
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Lionel Messi reacts to praise from a young Pep Guardiola
Lionel Messi watches an old video of a young Pep Guardiola praising his ability for the first time.
Even MLS coach of the year finalist Jesper Sørensen knows that his own trick up his sleeve, a 13-time Bundesliga champion and World Cup winner like Müller, isn’t at the same peak as the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner that he’ll be facing.
“Everybody knows about [Müller’s] career and what he’s done. He’s done most in this sport and achieved more in this sport than you can achieve,” Vancouver’s coach said. “[But] of course he knows this isn’t Bayern Munich, but he wants to affect whatever he can affect.”
As for Miami, their coach and roster have plenty of reasons to feel artistically invigorated. Messi and friends have painted MLS’s playoff round with 17 goals from their last five playoff games. Messi, by himself as the lead craftsman, has 11 goal contributions during that run. When looking at their home run, Miami have only one defeat since June.
For any sporting artist, you need plenty of tools under your belt — and Miami have proven to have no lack in their armoire. For Mascherano, amid the weekend’s art scene, it’s no different from calling upon a crafty crew led by the sport’s greatest innovator. “We’re heading into the final with confidence,” the coach said.
Will Messi’s abstract football design be that difference? Will Müller’s chance-creation or goal-scoring mural change the scenery? Perhaps a different name, an emerging artist, can shake up the scene? No matter what, be sure to follow Saturday’s design that will be exhibited at Chase Stadium.
