Messi bests Müller, leads Inter Miami to first MLS Cup title

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Thomas Müller has often enjoyed the upper hand in his longtime rivalry with Lionel Messi.

The German star has come out on top in seven of 10 head-to-head matchups between the two, and his teams have twice eliminated Messi and Argentina in the World Cup.

But on Saturday, in the latest marquee showdown between the two stars, it was Messi's turn.

The Argentine super star capped his third Major League Soccer season with the 47th trophy of his career, guiding Inter Miami to a 3-1 win over Müller's Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup final.

“Three years ago, I decided to come to MLS, and today we are MLS champions," Messi said in a quote distributed by MLS. “We reached the semifinals of the (CONCACAF) Champions Cup. Last year we went out early in the league and were eliminated in the first round. This year, winning MLS was one of our main objectives."

Messi set up the go-ahead goal — a feed to Rodrigo De Paul in the 72nd minute — then added another assist in stoppage time to deliver Inter Miami its first championship in franchise history.

“The team made a huge effort — it was a very long year, with many matches — and we were up to the task all season," Messi said. "This is the moment I had been waiting for, and that we, as a team, were waiting for. It’s very beautiful for all of us. They deserved it.”

Both Messi and Müller had already secured their soccer legacies long before Saturday's match. Each is a World Cup and Champions League winner. And both are Club World Cup winners.

They arrived in MLS with a similar goals: to add a league title to their already overflowing resumes. And even with little left to prove in their careers, it was evident how much the chance to lift the MLS Cup mattered to both veterans.

Müller, who led Germany past Messi and Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final and 2010 World Cup quarterfinal, slammed his hand against the turf in frustration at one point in the match, which Vancouver trailed 1-0 after an early own goal before tying it in the 60th.

During the ensuing trophy ceremony, Müller smiled, clapped and gave a thumbs up as Messi was crowned the match's most valuable player.

“When you reach out for something, it hurts even more when you don't get it,” said Vancouver coach Jesper Sørensen. “I told (the team) we've never been dreamers. I think Thomas said it when he came in. We're hard workers. We worked hard today. We had the game at 1-1 where we wanted it. ... Then we made a mistake and the ball dropped for Messi. And he played a very, very good pass for Rodrigo.”

For Messi, the match ended with his teammates jumping into his arms.

Jordi Alba, who is retiring along with Sergio Busquets, burst into tears and fell to the ground, as the reality of going out as a champion began to sink in.

“Today something very beautiful ends for them, something to which they dedicated their whole lives,” Messi said. "Now a new life begins for them. I wish them the very best, because they are two friends I care for deeply. I’m happy they can leave with this title.”

Messi, his new medal dangling from his neck, embraced inter Miami co-owners Jorge Mas and David Beckham, who brought in the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner three years ago when Inter Miami was near the bottom of the league and faced a steep ascent to the top.

“I’m very happy for him,” said first-year Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano. “I’m very happy because of the season that he played. ... For him it was very, very special and very important to win this trophy. He came here to win this trophy.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Inter Miami's Rodrigo de Paul (centre) celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps with Lionel Messi (left) and Jordi Alba during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) kicks a corner kicks during the first half of the MLS Cup final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Vancouver Whitecaps' Thomas Muller (top) is taken down by Inter Miami's Rodrigo de Paul (right) during the first half of the MLS Cup final soccer match in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) runs with the ball as Vancouver Whitecaps forward Thomas Müller (13) defends during the first half of the MLS Cup final soccer match Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — An explosion outside a local police station in the western Mexican state of Michoacan Saturday killed at least two people and wounded seven, local and federal security officials said.

The explosion came as the federal government has stepped up security activities in the state, sending in additional troops after two recent high-profile assassinations.

Hector Zepeda, commander of the Coahuayana community police, said Saturday the blast killed two of his police officers and that civilians were among the wounded. He said remains of some of the victims were found scattered in the area of the explosion, which also damaged nearby buildings.

“With this operation (from the federal government) a lot of marines came,” Zepeda said. “We stopped doing patrols because the operation is going on.”

The community police, which patrol various rural communities, are a remnant of the civilian vigilante forces that took up arms more than a decade ago to defend communities from drug cartels, and then were formalized by the state.

Coahuayana is near the Pacific coast in western Michoacan and the border with the state of Colima, a stronghold of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Saturday’s explosion happened while Michoacan Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla was in Mexico City to celebrate with President Claudia Sheinbaum the anniversary of their Morena party’s arrival in power seven years ago.

Ramírez Bedolla and Sheinbaum have been criticized for the deteriorating security situation in Michoacan where numerous drug cartels are fighting to control territory, terrorizing locals.

At least three of the six drug cartels that the Trump administration designated as terrorist organizations — Jalisco New Generation, United Cartels and The New Michoacan Family — operate here, in addition to a slew of homegrown armed splinter groups, some supported by the Sinaloa Cartel.

Explosives dropped from drones, buried as mines or planted alongside roadways are increasingly employed by criminal groups operating in the state. Last year, some 3,000 explosive devices were seized in the state compared to 160 in 2022. So far this year, there have been more than 2,000, according to the state security agency.

Michoacan is a key importer of chemical precursors for synthetic drugs. In the last two months, 17 drug laboratories were dismantled by Mexican authorities there. The state also produces avocados exported to the U.S. and is a major producer of limes, sectors extorted by cartels for years.

The state government said Saturday in a statement that an “explosive device” was responsible, but did not provide details. Images circulating online showed a completely burned out vehicle.

Last month, Sheinbaum sent 2,000 troops — on top of the 4,300 permanent ones and 4,000 in neighboring states – to Michoacan following the killings of an outspoken representative of the lime growers and a popular mayor standing up to the cartels.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addresses supporters during a celebration marking the seven years of the Fourth Transformation movement, or 4T, initiated by former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in the Zócalo of Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

FILE - Michoacán State Governor Alfredo Ramirez Bedolla, left, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum attend a presentation of the new security strategy against violence for the state of Michoacan, at the National Palace in Mexico City, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel, File)