Alex Roldan converted from the penalty spot late in the second half and had an assist during the first half, and the host Seattle Sounders defeated Lionel Messi and Inter Miami 3-0 to win the 2025 Leagues Cup final on Sunday night.
The match was marred by a melee at the final whistle involving multiple players from both teams. Miami striker Luis Suarez appeared to be one of the players at the middle of it, and video cameras appeared to capture him spitting at a member of Seattle’s staff postgame as the melee died down.
The Leagues Cup is a tournament held jointly by MLS and Liga MX with Concacaf sanctioning, and thus has a disciplinary committee independent from both leagues or the continental federation. Presumably, it would be responsible for deciding any discipline from the incident, though potentially MLS could also get involved.
Roldan set up Osaze De Rosario’s fourth goal of the tournament for the opener for Seattle, which won its second Concacaf honor and ninth all-time major trophy since beginning MLS play in 2009.
It’s the Sounders’ first since they defeated Mexico’s Pumas UNAM over two legs to win the 2022 Concacaf Champions League, ending a run of 16 consecutive Mexican champions in that event.
Paul Rothrock scored the third in the final moments of a win that guaranteed Seattle a first-round bye into the Round of 16 at the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Miami failed to secure its third major trophy since Messi’s arrival during the summer of the 2023 season and its second Leagues Cup title after winning the 2023 event.
The Herons are still guaranteed a Concacaf spot next year, but they will start in the first round unless they win the 2025 MLS Cup.
Seattle was dominant during the first half and went deservingly in front in the 26th minute.
Jesus Ferreira played the initial ball out wide to Roldan on the right, and Roldan curled in an outswinging cross to the far post, where De Rosario met it with a decisive header.
Miami wasted two excellent chances to level early in the second half, with Suarez providing the link-up play.
In the 50th minute, it was Messi arriving just above the 6-yard box to Suarez’s spinning, cutback pass but firing over goalkeeper Andrew Thomas and the crossbar on the run.
Then in the 60th minute, Tadeo Allende was on the end of Suarez’s clever backheel but sent his 1-on-1 opportunity wide of the right post as Thomas charged off his line.
That proved costly when Sounders substitute Georgi Minoungou got free down the left in the 82nd minute. With Yannick Bright tracking back to defend, Minoungou attempted a cutback and was caught by Bright’s sliding challenge.
Roldan cooly converted the penalty past Oscar Ustari in the 84th minute to turn tension into joy for most of a crowd of 69,314 at Lumen Field — a Leagues Cup and club single-game attendance record.
–Field Level Media
