Tom Krasovic: Lionel Messi-Thomas Müller matchup brings international eyes to MLS Cup final

Wool ski hat on head and wide grin on face, Thomas Müller looked as thrilled as Buddy the Elf does when sizing up a dinner plate of Christmas candy drenched in maple syrup.

What so pleased the German soccer star last Saturday night, as he fielded questions in Mission Valley following second-seeded Vancouver’s 3-1 playoff victory against top-seeded San Diego FC?

The prospect of one more high-stakes match for Müller, 36, against international football’s best player, Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, 38, was a big part of it.

Müller, bringing an outside perspective to MLS that a few of the critics and fans could stand to hear, noted that the MLS Cup match that comes Saturday in Fort Lauderdale will attract viewers near and far who might not otherwise care about the American league’s title match.

“The nice thing about it is, not only playing against the greatest player who played our game and is still playing our game – when you have a pairing like this, more people are watching,” Müller said following Vancouver’s win before a full-house crowd of 32,500 in the Western Conference final.

“If more people are watching,” Müller added, “the value for you as a player and also for your team and also for your franchise is way bigger. So, the match gets a little more important. It’s a final for MLS Cup. But, if it’s with these big players and big names in the soccer world, then it’s a little more exciting for people in the world. So, it’s a perfect situation for everyone involved.”

For sure, an MLS Cup between San Diego FC and Inter Miami would’ve served up its own delights.

It would’ve struck a deserved blow for the bold style that SDFC coach Mikey Varas and team mastered in becoming the second expansion squad in MLS’ 30 years to reach a conference final.

SDFC star wing Anders Dreyer, who had the best season of any MLS player save Messi, would’ve given the sport’s aficionados more reason to notice the league.

But Müller’s point carries weight that’s too heavy not to appreciate.

An MLS Cup with Messi and Müller is an MLS Cup that’s must-see viewing for many folks beyond the league’s hardcore fans.

Messi was the first of these two international greats to join the U.S. league.

Arriving in July 2023, a move that rewarded a lengthy courtship by Inter Miami owners, including David Beckham, Messi sought a different lifestyle, one away from European scrutiny.

Declining an offer from Saudi Arabia’s league – forever endearing him to me – Messi opted for a minority ownership stake and partnerships with MLS broadcast partner Apple and Adidas.

Müller joined Vancouver this August, four months after his longtime German club, Bayern Munich, announced he wouldn’t be brought back for the 2025-26 season. Receptive to the charms of life in scenic Vancouver, Müller cited also his comfort with sporting director Axel Schuster, a fellow German, and coach Jesper Sørensen, whose team was dueling SDFC for the Western Conference’s top spot.

“It’s really great that Müller has come to play in MLS,” Messi said this week, “and the wide impact that created.”

Some MLS critics will cite this MLS Cup as proof that the league isn’t very good.

See, these folks will point out, European league greats can dominate the best American (and Canadian) league even when they’re well past their prime.

My rebuttal: So what?

Messi remains very entertaining at soccer, as does Müller.

Old is another word for wise. Messi and Müller have stepped up the soccer games of their teammates, coaches and opponents. They still have enough life in their legs to make good use of their extraordinary feel for soccer.

Case in point: because of Messi, 25-year-old forward Tadeo Allende has become fun to watch.

In January, Allende joined Inter Miami a week after his former Spanish league teammate Luca de la Torre signed with San Diego FC.

Allende has tuned into Messi’s wavelength, making the younger Argentine a rising star. The fast wing with a strong right foot has scored seven goals in Miami’s past three games, including a hat trick in the conference final against New York City.

Müller said upon joining Vancouver that he planned on fitting in fast. He was here to win, not serve as a public relations gimmick. Working as an attacking midfielder in Sorensen’s 4-2-3-1 scheme and variations of that design, the 6-foot-1 Muller has coordinated the Whitecaps’ final-third efforts to good effect.

“He’s a coach on the field,” said Vancouver’s Brian White, a 29-year-old Duke alum who had two goals in Mission Valley last week.

“I try to keep it together,” Müller said after his 60-minute outing in San Diego, in which he was limited by hamstring tightness. “The boys are appreciating it as well. You could see it on the pitch. We had some great actions offensively and defensively.”

Alas, beyond the gift of Messi vs. Müller, this MLS Cup matchup has served up a second theme, and it’s not a positive one.

Underdog sports leagues tend to have facility issues that can’t be solved. In this case, it’s Inter Miami’s venue. It’s rinky-dink.

Because the team’s stadium in Miami won’t be ready until next year, Messi and Co. play at a temporary venue in Fort Lauderdale that houses about 21,500. The place has the feel of a glorified high school stadium. Suffice it to say that neither Messi nor Müller will feel like he’s performing again in England’s Wembley Stadium, Germany’s Signal Iduna Park — or Brazil’s Maracana, where they met for the 2014 World Cup final.

Don’t expect to see many overhead shots during the Fox broadcast.

Do expect to see good soccer, even if neither star welcomes the star-vs.-star billing.

“It’s not about Messi vs. Thomas Müller,” Müller said. “It’s Miami against the Whitecaps.”