The stage was set for Lionel Messi to win yet another title in an Inter Miami shirt, as he took to the field with all the favoritism possible against Seattle Sounders, even in an away match. However, the Argentine couldn't count on a poor closing display and a 3-0 defeat in a Leagues Cup final that will surely go down in his career.
First few minutes of the match were marked by a lot of blocked shots and corners for both teams looking to open the scoring in the first half, a scenario that favored the Seattle Sounders. In the 26th minute, Alex Roldán took advantage of great freedom on the right flank and got to the end of a cross at the far post behind the defense for De Rozario to head into the corner.
Overexcited by their lead, Seattle Sounders controlled the rest of the first half with Pedro de la Vega pulling off a good save from Ustari with a right-footed shot, while Jesús Ferreira hit the left-hand post with a dangerous strike from the middle of the box. As a result, Inter MIami tried to impose an attacking rhythm at the start of the second half, but Lionel Messi was far from his best and failed to score from a free-kick.
Allende also had two good chances to equalize the match, but Inter Miami's hopes were dashed when Messi wasted a shot inside the box in a one-on-one duel with the opposing goalkeeper. After surviving the attempts on goal, the Seattle Sounders scored their second goal in the 84th minute when Bright stopped the opposition's attack with a foul inside the box on Minougou, leading to a very well taken penalty by Roldán, firmly into the top corner.
Inter Miami couldn't avoid a shock defeat
With the fans already celebrating, there was still time for Seattle Sounders to extend their lead before extra time to seal the title, when Roldán found Rothrock on the edge of the box and he slid the ball to his right, breaking into the box and hitting a cross past the goalkeeper, leaving Inter Miami with a 3-0 victory in the Leagues Cup final.