A spectacle awaits when Seattle Sounders FC host Inter Miami CF for the Leagues Cup 2025 final on Sunday evening (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+; Univision, TUDN).
More than 65,000 fans are expected to attend Lumen Field for the championship clash, surpassing the tournament’s single-match attendance record by over 15,000 spectators.
Should the Sounders capitalize on home-field advantage, they’d become the first MLS team to win every major piece of North American silverware that’s available.
“We're all excited, as a collective, to be able to maybe make history,” said Sounders attacker Jesús Ferreira.
“Knowing that this is the only trophy that the club needs to fill the cabinet, we're all motivated for the final. We all know finals don't come very often. We did well during the tournament to get to this final, so we just have to finish it.”
Surging Sounders
Seattle went unbeaten in Phase One, emerging as the only MLS or LIGA MX team to take the maximum nine points available. They’ve maintained momentum throughout the knockout phase, eliminating Club Puebla on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals before securing a 2-0 semifinal win at the LA Galaxy.
Now, the Sounders aim to add to their eight previous titles. The list includes four US Open Cups, two MLS Cups, one Concacaf Champions Cup and a Supporters’ Shield.
“I think it's important to live presently, understand the moment, but also take a deep breath,” said Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan.
“This is like any other game. You've played this game so much and, yes, the pressures are a little different. But at the end of the day, this is a game that we've been playing for a very long time.”
Messi factor
If Seattle’s strength is their depth and collective approach, Inter Miami’s is their experience and star power.
That’s most evident with Lionel Messi, who’s looking to lift his world-record 47th trophy for club and country. The Argentine No. 10 is coming off a masterful performance, scoring a late brace that fueled a 3-1 semifinal win over Florida Derby rivals Orlando City – all while returning from a nagging hamstring injury.
Inter Miami, who won Leagues Cup in 2023 upon Messi’s arrival, have a chance to grow their club’s legacy.
“Once you arrive at a team, a project such as this, our expectations are to fight and win the most that we can,” said head coach Javier Mascherano.
“Many times, these expectations can be met. Sometimes, they cannot. But now we’re so close that we’re just one match away from raising the Leagues Cup trophy.”
Dreaming big
Miami midfielder Rodrigo De Paul provided a window into the mentality that defines a final. Alongside Messi, he won four titles with Argentina from 2021-24 and will enter next summer’s FIFA World Cup as a defending champion.
“Every time a match starts, particularly when a cup is at stake, my only thought is ending that match with no regrets,” said De Paul, who joined the Herons last month on loan from Atlético Madrid.
“Many times, soccer is not always fair. Not always does the best one win. But I always have that attitude to keep going in the match and leave with no regrets, no bad aftertaste. Tomorrow, I’m going to play as I usually do with giving my all and trying to get the win.”
The Sounders are similarly buzzing, according to Paul Rothrock.
"We like how we're playing; our system is working well," Rothrock said. "You guys have heard it all year: The strength of our collective is really special, and I think everyone can feel a different energy with this team. It's fun to be around."
Last one standing
Seattle and Miami, who have qualified for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup by reaching the final, have been on a roll all summer.
Since a solid showing at the FIFA Club World Cup, the Sounders have lost just once in their 14 games across all competitions (9W-1L-4D). They’ve received clutch performances from less-heralded players like goalkeeper Andrew Thomas and striker Osaze De Rosario, overcoming an injury wave that would derail most other teams.
The Herons also impressed at the Club World Cup, becoming the first MLS team to beat a European opponent in an official competition and reach the knockout rounds of that global tournament. As clutch as Messi, De Paul & Co. are in big moments, youngsters like Telasco Segovia and Ian Fray have proven crucial to this tournament run.
But only one club can reign over North America, and the massive crowd will surely add to the moment.
“Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders are the teams that deserve to be in the final match,” Mascherano said. “I have no doubt about that."
