Lionel Messi and Inter Miami feted by President Donald Trump at the White House for MLS Cup title

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lionel Messi bestowed President Donald Trump with a bejeweled pink soccer ball during a White House ceremony honoring Inter Miami for winning last year's MLS Cup.

Miami beat the Vancouver Whitecaps in December for the Major League Soccer title, and the Argentinian superstar was named the league's MVP for the second consecutive season.

“Leo, you came in and you won, and that's something very hard to do, very, very unusual and frankly, there's a lot more pressure put on you than anyone would know, because you sort of expected to win, but almost nobody wins,” Trump said.

Messi, who entered the ceremony alongside Trump, joined Inter Miami in mid-2023 to great fanfare. He did not speak during the event, which turned political at times with Trump addressing the war with Iran, the situation in Venezuela, a possible future announcement regarding Cuba and even tariffs.

Addressing Messi — who famously avoids speaking out on politics — the president stuck mostly to sports.

“You could have gone anywhere in the world. You could have chosen any team in the world, and you chose to go to Miami. I don’t blame you. The weather’s extremely good. Do you go to Doral? You go to Doral and play golf?” Trump said, referencing a golf course he owns. “I just want to thank you for bringing us all on this ride, because you are hot and talented and a great person.”

Among the other Inter Miami stars in attendance were Luis Suárez, Tadeo Allende and Rodrigo De Paul. MLS Commissioner Don Garber sat next to Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House's World Cup task force. Also attending were retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez and members of Trump's cabinet.

Inter Miami was the first MLS team to be invited to the White House during Trump’s two terms in office.

Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, led Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022. The 38-year-old is expected to play again for Argentina this summer when the tournament is hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Soccer's global showcase has been clouded by recent events, including the war with Iran and turmoil in Mexico following the death of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera in a military operation.

Iran is part of the World Cup field of 48 teams and is set to play a pair of games at SoFi Stadium in Southern California and another in Seattle during the group stage.

Trump opened the ceremony with comments about the conflict with Iran but did not mention the World Cup.

Following military action by the United States and Israel last week, Iran’s top soccer official, Mehdi Taj, said the country could not look to playing in the World Cup with “hope.”

“I really don’t care” if Iran participates, Trump told Politico this week. “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”

It's not clear what would happen if Iran pulled out of the World Cup. No team that has qualified for the tournament has withdrawn in the past 75 years.

The World Cup kicks off on June 11 when Mexico plays South Africa in Mexico City.

During the ceremony, Trump spoke about how he saw Brazilian great Pele play with the New York Cosmos. He looked to Messi: “You may be better than Pele,” then asked the crowd, “Who’s better?”

Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas said his team has “changed the culture of football in the United States of America forever.”

“We can play with the big boys, we can play with the heavyweights. Our league can be one of the top leagues in the world,” Mas said. “And it is this ability to dream, to persevere, to have no obstacles ahead of us, that we will continue to be successful. And hopefully, Mr. President, this is not our only visit here celebrating an MLS Cup championship.”

It was the first White House visit for Messi. He was invited by the Biden administration to be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2025 but could not attend because of a scheduling conflict.

Inter Miami will remain in the area to play D.C. United on Saturday.

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

President Donald Trump receives a soccer ball trophy from Lionel Messi during an event to honor the 2025 Major League Soccer champions Inter Miami in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Lionel Messi, left, and teammates listen to President Donald Trump speak during an event to honor the 2025 Major League Soccer champions Inter Miami in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FILE - Argentina's Lionel Messi hoists the winning team replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy during a celebration ceremony for local fans after an international friendly soccer match against Panama at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello, file)

Lionel Messi listens to President Donald Trump speak during an event to honor the 2025 Major League Soccer champions Inter Miami in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Lionel Messi during an event to honor the 2025 Major League Soccer champions Inter Miami in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

With less than 24 hours left before the NHL trade deadline, a few Stanley Cup contenders in the Western Conference are not waiting until the last minute to get deals done.

The league-best Colorado Avalanche acquired center Nicolas Roy from Toronto, and the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights got center Nic Dowd from Washington. The Dallas Stars filled their final big need of a forward by acquiring Michael Bunting from Nashville, while the Minnesota Wild added veteran defenseman Jeff Petry in a swap with back-to-back defending champion Florida.

Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman expects to be done after a handful of moves, but in the East there are plenty of teams in the race who are eager to get something done before the clock runs out.

Following three consecutive trips to the West final, the Stars sent Mason Marchment to Seattle to change up their mix. On Thursday, they used the third-round pick they got from the Kraken in that trade to get a player who does a lot of the same gritty things in Bunting.

“Michael is a tremendous addition to our roster,” GM Jim Nill said. “His goal scoring ability mixed with physicality makes him extremely tough to play against. We are looking forward to seeing him on the ice in Dallas.”

Bunting, 30, has been traded at the deadline each of the past three years. Dallas got its veteran defenseman on Wednesday, Tyler Myers from Vancouver.

Colorado sent a conditional fifth-round pick this year and a top-10-protected first rounder in 2027 to the Maple Leafs for Roy, who fills a major void with significant size at 6-foot-4. Now 29, he helped Vegas win the Cup in 2023, when depth played a major role in that title run.

“He’s played pretty well for us,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “Tough to see him go, but that’s the situation we’re in.”

Roy should slide in perfectly as the No. 3 center behind leading scorer (at 100 points in 59 games) Nathan MacKinnon and 30-goal scorer Brock Nelson. The position was seen as the biggest need for a group that has been atop the standings since October.

Colorado previously added on the blue line with Brett Kulak and Nick Blankenburg.

Vegas got Dowd from the Capitals for a 2027 third-round pick, a 2029 second rounder and young goaltender Jesper Vikman, a little over six weeks after jumping the line before the Olympic break to pick up defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Flames.

Dowd, 35, gives the Golden Knights a penalty killer and shutdown defender down the middle who can also chip in some offense. He has 16 points and 43 blocked shots in 55 games this season and is under contract through '26-27 at a reasonable cap hit of $3 million.

The Golden Knights could still target a goaltender. While the Avalanche have the best team save percentage in the league at .916, Vegas is second-worst at .880 between Adin Hill, Carter Hart, Akira Schmid and Carl Lindbom.

Minnesota's deadline week has been about getting better on the margins, first with fourth-line center and faceoff ace Michael McCarron from Nashville and now Petry, who's 38 and provides depth.

The price was just a conditional seventh-round pick that becomes a fifth-rounder if the Wild win two playoff series and Petry plays in 50% or more of their games during those rounds.

Buffalo and St. Louis had agreed to a deal that would send Colton Parayko to the Sabres, pending the defenseman waiving his no-trade clause.

Parayko on Thursday informed them that he was not waiving it, therefore negating the trade, a person familiar with discussions told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were private.

As part of the eight-year, $52 million contract he signed Sept. 1, 2021, Parayko received full no-trade protection through 2028. He is signed through 2030.

Ottawa got forward Warren Foegele from Los Angeles, sending a second-round pick to the Kings. The teams also swapped third-rounders.

Trading Dowd signals the Capitals' intention to at least in part be sellers, sitting four points back of the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference but having played three more games than Boston, which is in that position. Pending unrestricted free agent forward Brandon Duhaime and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk are also trade candidates for Washington.

Plenty of other teams who declared they're open for business are awaiting more deals. Vincent Trocheck remains with the New York Rangers, who decided to sit him and fourth-line center Sam Carrick against Toronto for roster management reasons on deadline eve.

The Maple Leafs, who are all but certain to miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade, also chose not to dress three players as trade talk heats up: Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, all of whom could have new homes by 3 p.m. EST Friday.

AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd (26) tries to get the puck past Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Akira Schmid (40) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals' Nic Dowd (26) tries to face wash Montreal Canadiens' Kirby Dach (77) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)