Seattle’s summer of soccer will reach its climax on Sunday when the Sounders host Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at Lumen Field (5:00 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass | TICKETS) in the Leagues Cup Final.
The Sounders took care of business on Wednesday night, going down to Southern California and defeating the LA Galaxy 2-0 in the Leagues Cup Semifinals, their second win at Dignity Health Sports Park in just 17 days. The reward is a home match with a chance to lift the only trophy the club has yet to win since its MLS inception in 2009.
In his post-match press conference, Head Coach Brian Schmetzer referenced the club's only prior visit to the Leagues Cup Final, which was held at a neutral site in Las Vegas back in 2021 against Club Léon. The Sounders fell short on that day, but now they have a chance to lift the trophy in their own stadium on Sunday.
“We’re going to play against Messi at our home field in front of 65,000 people,” said Schmetzer. “Everybody should be there because it’s going to be an entertaining game.”
Getting over the finish line will not be an easy task, especially as Miami comes to town fresh off a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Orlando City SC in the other Leagues Cup Semifinal match on Wednesday. Messi equalized from the penalty spot before scoring the go-ahead goal in the 88th minute. Telasco Segovia added an insurance goal three minutes later to ice it.
In addition to Messi, Miami boasts the likes of Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and summer acquisition Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s international teammate who joined on loan from Atlético Madrid.
“We’re going to have to limit their star players to half-chances if that’s possible,” said Schmetzer. “We’ll have to keep some possession because we don’t want to chase the ball for 90 minutes. We’ll have to create some chances against them.”
Not much has slowed down the Sounders machine since their exit from the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this summer where they played some of the best teams in the world in Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético and Botafogo. Seattle has just one loss in 14 matches since (10-1-3) and has outscored its Leagues Cup opponents 13-2 in five contests.
By advancing to the Leagues Cup Final, the Sounders have also secured their spot in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. A win on Sunday would earn them a bye through to the Round of 16 while crowning what has been a magnificent run of form with another regional title.
“My perspective on this being a local kid, having seen a lot of big events at the stadium — championships, finals — We’re hosting the greatest player [of all time],” said Schmetzer. “Miami is coming to Seattle in a meaningful championship game. That followed playing against Paris Saint-Germain, which is arguably the greatest club team in the world.
“It’s been a great summer,” he continued. “I’m hoping to make it an even better summer on Sunday. It’s a long runway into the FIFA World Cup that we’re going to be hosting in 2026. The way the team is playing, the way that they believe, maybe a deep playoff run as well.”
