Seattle Sounders vs. Inter Miami score: Leagues Cup final result, stats as Sounders lift 2025 trophy

Kyle Bonn

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Seattle Sounders vs. Inter Miami score: Leagues Cup final result, stats as Sounders lift 2025 trophy image

Lionel Messi finally met his Leagues Cup match, as the Seattle Sounders lifted the 2025 trophy after a 3-0 victory in the final over Inter Miami at Lumen Field on Sunday night.

After debuting for his MLS club in 2023 by leading the Herons to their first-ever trophy in the Leagues Cup, Messi had the side back on the precipice two years later. Instead, it was Brian Schmetzer who would usher his club to its ninth-ever trophy.

Osaze De Rosario opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark, heading in Alex Roldan’s cross from the right. Inter Miami were exceedingly poor in the first half, but improved after the break. Unfortunately for the Herons, they whiffed with two brilliant chances to get back in the game, as Messi and Tadeo Allende both came up empty with only the goalkeeper to beat.

MORE: Read further about the post-match brawl after the 2025 Leagues Cup final

With Inter Miami failing to take their moments, Seattle put the game away, as Alex Roldan deposited a penalty won by substitute Georgi Minoungou to make it two, and then Paul Rothrock scored a third on the full-time whistle.

After the match, there was a massive brawl at midfield, where Luis Suarez was seen grabbing Seattle players in a headlock and spitting at a coach. As Inter Miami embarrassed themselves with their postmatch actions, Seattle lifted the trophy in front of a record Leagues Cup crowd of 69,314 which also set a Lumen Field venue record.

The Sporting News followed the Seattle Sounders vs. Inter Miami match live, providing score updates, commentary, and analysis.

JUMP TO: Latest live updates | Team news and lineups | Full match stats

Seattle Sounders vs. Inter Miami final score

 ScoreGoal scorers
Seattle Sounders3De Rosario (26'),
A. Roldan (84', pen),
Rothrock (89')
Inter Miami0–

Location: Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
Referee: Juan Calderon Perez (CRC)

Starting lineups:

Seattle Sounders (4-2-3-1, right to left): 26. Thomas (GK) — 16. A. Roldan, 28. Y. Gomez, 25. Ragen, 21. Baker-Whiting — 18. Vargas, 7. C. Roldan — 14. Rothrock (Hee, 90'), 9. Ferreira (Minoungou, 78'), 14. De la Vega (Rienzi, 61') — 95. De Rosario (Leyva, 61').

Inter Miami (4-2-3-1, right to left): 19. Ustari (GK) — 17. Fray (Picault, 72'), 2. Lujan (Segovia, 57'), 37. Falcon, 18. Alba — 42. Bright (Cremaschi, 85'), 5. Busquets — 7. De Paul, 10. Messi, 21. Allende — 9. Suarez.

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Seattle Sounders vs. Inter Miami stats

Seattle SoundersStatInter Miami
11Shots10
6Shots on target0
32%Possession68%
211Accurate passes506
4Corners8
11Fouls12
0Yellow cards2

Seattle Sounders vs. Inter Miami live updates, highlights from Leagues Cup final

FULLTIME: Seattle 3-0 Inter Miami

Shockingly, there's no added time as the referee blows the whistle right after Kim Kee-hee comes on for the goal scorer Paul Rothrock.

Right after the full-time whistle, there's a BRAWL! Luis Suarez puts someone in a headlock, and it all kicks off! Inter Miami are the aggressors, but bodies are flying everywhere! There will be a review to give red cards after the fact, and suspensions will follow. What a pathetic performance from Inter Miami, both on the pitch during the 90 minutes and immediately after!

89th min: GOAL! SEATTLE SOUNDERS! PAUL ROTHROCK PUTS THE GAME AWAY WITH SEATTLE'S THIRD GOAL! He gets free down the left edge of the six-yard box, and Paulie Primetime cuts a shot inside the far post for the finishing touch! He beats Sergio Busquets to the ball, and then shoots just past a sliding Maxi Falcon!

81st min: PENALTY, SEATTLE SOUNDERS! With homegrown substitute Georgi Minoungou on the counter, Yannick Bright slides in and commits a clear foul! He's booked, and now Seattle can seal it!

The captain Cristian Roldan, who has never taken an in-game penalty in his career, hands it to his brother Alex. The Sounders full-back steps up and...GOAL! SEATTLE SOUNDERS! He sends Oscar Ustari the wrong way, and the hosts are 2-0 in front! Surely this one's over!

Benjamin Cremaschi comes on after the goal, for what could be his final appearance for Inter Miami.

73rd min: Chance, Seattle Sounders! A MASSIVE SAVE BY OSCAR USTARI TO KEEP THE DEFICIT AT ONE! Paul Rothrock gets clean through on goal on the counter, and as he cuts inside the defender, he fires the shot one-on-one with 39-year-old Ustari but can't get by! It's saved by Ustari and the match remains 1-0!

67th min: Chance, Seattle Sounders! The hosts nearly get a second, and it would have been quite fortunate! With Oscar Ustari out of his net to punch the ball away, Maxi Falcon's clearance off the line comes cannoning off Paul Rothrock, and only goes narrowly wide of the post! Can you imagine???

60th min: Chance, Inter Miami! ANOTHER DISASTROUS MISS FOR THE HERONS! Luis Suarez once again plays provider, with a luscious vertical feed to Tadeo Allende who gets behind the Seattle back line, but he too misses, firing wide right with only the goalkeeper to beat!

57th min: Understanding the importance of this match, Javier Mascherano is going for it a lot earlier than you might expect. He brings on Telasco Segovia for defender Gonzalo Lujan. That will see Sergio Busquets move to center-back.

54th min: The official attendance is released, with Lumen Field breaking its own record. Today's figure of 69,314 just ticks above the previous venue high of 69,274 from the 2019 MLS Cup final.

It also shatters the Leagues Cup attendance record 50,675 from a 2024 match between San Jose Earthquakes and Chivas.

50th min: Chance, Inter Miami! HOW HAS LIONEL MESSI MISSED?! Luis Suarez provides a truly sensational 180-degree turn-and-feed vertical ball to Messi, springing him free on goal, but he fires it over the crossbar from six yards out!! Oh dear, that's a dreadful mistake from Messi with the goal gaping! The moment Inter Miami had been waiting for, and Messi comes up empty!

2nd half kickoff: They're back under way at Lumen Field. Seattle will be wary of the threat Inter Miami pose, even if the Herons were exceedingly poor in the first half. From an Inter Miami perspective, they need an outlet getting forward, because building from the back isn't exactly working.

No changes for either side as far as substitutions are concerned, but Inter Miami have made a tactical switch, as Rodrigo de Paul and Tadeo Allende have swapped back to their regular sides. They had flipped during much of the first half, but de Paul is back on the right and Allende moves over to the left.

HALFTIME: Seattle Sounders 1-0 Inter Miami

The hosts take a deserved lead in to the halftime break! Seattle was the better side in the opening 45 minutes, as they generated numerous chances on the goal of Oscar Ustari while keeping Inter Miami largely at bay. The Herons had hardly a sniff on goal of their own, which if anything will leave Brian Schmetzer frustrated they weren't able to come away with a bigger lead.

The magical presence of Lionel Messi lurks all the way until the final whistle, but for now, he and the rest of the Inter Miami attack has been non-existent.

40th min: Chance, Seattle Sounders! JESUS FERREIRA COMES SO CLOSE! The USMNT forward hits the inside of the post but it comes out!! He cuts a shot with the left foot perfectly between two defenders and while it beats a diving Oscar Ustari, it pings the left post and comes right back to the Inter Miami goalkeeper!

29th min: Lionel Messi shows some real frustration as he yells at Obed Vargas after the Inter Miami star is fouled in midfield. Things are starting to get a little testy...

26th min: GOAL! SEATTLE SOUNDERS! Osaze De Rosario opens the scoring!!! It comes off a simple cross from the right by Alex Roldan on the overlap, and De Rosario gets past the center-backs to head in the opener from close range!

12th min: Obed Vargas makes a brilliant tackle to prevent Lionel Messi from latching onto a ball in the penalty area in what would have been a glorious opportunity to shoot. The ensuing corner is unproductive.

7th min: Seattle Sounders have had a few good half-chances to begin this match, they are on top of the game flow to begin things, but unable to capitalize on the opportunities so far.

Kickoff: They're under way at Lumen Field! A record-setting night is here, with a trophy to be handed out at the end of the 90 minutes!

Remember, in the Leagues Cup, if they are tied at the end of regulation, it will go straight to a penalty shootout!

Seattle Sounders vs. Inter Miami: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more

15 mins to kick: Tonight could be the final match in pink for Benjamin Cremaschi, who is reportedly nearing a loan move to Italian side Parma. The young U.S. international could be on his way to Europe, but will hope to play a role off the bench in a trophy-winning result before departing!

30 mins to kick: Lineups are in! For Inter Miami, Ian Fray retains his right-back position over Marcelo Weigandt, while Tadeo Allende enters the lineup for semifinal spot starter Baltasar Rodriguez.

Seattle name an XI with just one change, forced at the left-back position, where indeed 20-year-old Reed Baker-Whiting will be tasked with defending Lionel Messi!

1 hour to kickoff: As we continue to wait for lineups, the Seattle Sounders have run a truly hilarious pre-match promotion that allows fans to exchange a Lionel Messi Inter Miami kit for a free Paul Rothrock Sounders kit. Some truly incredible banter here.

1 hour 30 mins to kick: Not only is this match expected to be a sellout, but it will also shatter the record for the highest-ever Leagues Cup attendance. It could even potentially come close to the all-time Lumen Field record.

2 hours to kickoff: Lionel Messi was by far the best player in the competition two years ago, having just joined Inter Miami at the start of the tournament. He scored the club's only goal in the final, which ended in a 1-1 draw and would progress to penalties, where Inter Miami triumphed.

Seattle Sounders vs. Inter Miami lineups, team news

The Sounders will have to figure out how to defend Lionel Messi, as regular left-back Nouhou is suspended for his late red card in the semifinal win over the LA Galaxy. It could mean that 20-year-old Reed Baker-Whiting comes in to take over, which would be a gamble against the greatest player ever.

Brian Schmetzer has been forced to work around a number of injuries to important players this season. Seattle are without the likes of Jordan Morris, Albert Rusnak, Paul Arriola, and Joao Paulo due to varying fitness concerns.

Seattle Sounders starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Thomas (GK) — A. Roldan, Gomez, Ragen, Baker-Whiting — Vargas, C. Roldan — Rothrock, Ferreira, De la Vega — De Rosario.

Seattle Sounders subs: Frei (GK), Castro (GK), Kim, Baker, Sousa, Kossa-Rienzi, Brunell, Leyva, Minoungou, Rusnak.

Inter Miami are largely at full strength now that Lionel Messi is back from his repeated hamstring issues.

Javier Mascherano will return to the touchline after his one-game ban for a red card in the quarterfinals. He will have decisions to make along the back, particularly at right-back where he deployed Ian Fray in the semifinals in place of regular starter Marcelo Weigandt.

He also used Rodrigo de Paul in a wide midfield role, but he seemed to be ineffective while playing out on the right, and could be brought back into a more central role.

Inter Miami starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Ustari (GK) — Fray, Lujan, Falcon, Alba — Bright, Busquets — De Paul, Messi, Allende — Suarez.

Inter Miami subs: Rios Novo (GK), Yarbrough (GK), Weigandt, Sailor, Aviles, Allen, Ruiz, Cremaschi, B. Rodriguez, Segovia, Morales, Picault.

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.