FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Thomas Müller knows exactly what it is like to face Lionel Messi with a trophy at stake.

And he knows what it takes to win in those moments, too.

The 2025 MLS Cup final — Messi and Inter Miami vs. Müller and the Vancouver Whitecaps — is going to draw a few comparisons from a personnel standpoint to the 2014 World Cup final and 2010 World Cup quarterfinal matches between Argentina and Germany.

Germany, with Müller, won both times. Messi played in those matches for Argentina, as did Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano. They’ll all meet again on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, with Müller surely knowing that facing Messi doesn’t automatically mean a loss.

“It’s not about Messi against Thomas Müller,” he told reporters after Vancouver’s 3-1 win over San Diego in the We

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