Lionel Messi provided two assists as Inter Miami beat Vancouver Whitecaps at Chase Stadium to win the MLS Cup for the first time.
Miami got off to the perfect start and took the lead on eight minutes when Edier Ocampo put into his own net when trying to defend Tadeo Allende.
Vancouver grew into the game late in the first half and had two big opportunities to level.
Their first meaningful attempt at goal came in the 38th minute when goalkeeper Rocco Rios was on call to deny Emmanuel Sabbi from point blank range.
Thomas Muller was next to threaten an equaliser when his header landed on the roof of the net.
The Whitecaps came out positively and got their reward on the hour as Ali Ahmed’s scuffed shot squeezed under Rios’ arm.
Sabbi was unlucky not to put the visitors in front moments later when he his shot crashed off both posts and his follow-up on the rebound was also deflected on to the woodwork.
But Vancouver were only level for 11 minutes as the game, which played out in a carnival atmosphere in Fort Lauderdale, after Rodrigo de Paul met Lionel Messi’s perfectly weighted ball before showing composure to finish across goal.
Vancouver threw bodies forward in the final stages as they battled for an equaliser but Miami – willed on by a sea of fans waving pink scarves – struck on the counter.
Messi was again on call to provide the assist, controlling a lofted ball on his chest and then flicking on for Allende, who rolled the ball through Yohei Takaoka’s legs.
The MLS Cup is the championship game of Major League Soccer, the top-flight league in the United States.
A post-season knockout tournament determines the champion, following the regular season in which teams are split into the Eastern and Western Conferences.
