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81 min:Segovia presses but fouls. Whitecaps reclaim possession. But Miamiâ€s midfielders are no longer quite as passive as they were earlier, and Vancouverâ€s passes arenâ€t getting them anywhere.

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80 min:Itâ€s a battle of turnovers now, dragging down the passing percentages for both teams.

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78 min:Miami sub – Bright for Silvetti.

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77 min:Another Vancouver turnover. Theyâ€ve been better for the most part but have suffered mightily for a couple of mistakes.

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76 min:Miami do little with the corner, but they keep possession, and thatâ€s better than a low-percentage shot.

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75 min:Free kick to Messi, likely too far for a shot. But itâ€s a dangerous ball, and White heads it out for … get this … the first corner kick of the game.

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73 min:De Paul and Messi are longtime national teammates. That combination is not a surprise.

Now Messi is down after a nasty foul from the frustrated Cubas, who gets yellow.

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Gooooooaallll!!! Miami 2-1 Vancouver (De Paul 71)

And just like that, the game changes. Messi cleanly strips the ball from Cubas and taps it ahead to De Paul, whoâ€s 1-on-1 with the keeper. Simple far-post finish.

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70 min:Miami turnover, and Vancouver break. Miami defenders get back in place and again sag back, not pressing. Youâ€d have to think the younger Whitecaps would be favored in extra time.

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68 min:Vancouver subs – Gauld replaces the goal-scorer Ahmed, while Pupe replaces Priso. Pupe made no appearances after signing late in the regular season and has played four minutes in the playoffs. No pressure.

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Priso sits down for Vancouver. The Whitecaps had readied some subs but may now wait to see if he can continue.

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66 min:Another smart Whitecaps combination ends with Ahmed losing his footing. Miami start to break the other way, but Blackmon alertly … fouls. Yellow.

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65 min:Busquets wins the aerial battle to clear Berhalterâ€s free kick.

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64 min:Free kick for Vancouver off a handball, and we have a tangle of bodies after the whistle.

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62 min: OFF BOTH POSTS!Sabbi hits the inside of one post, and it bounds across to hit the other. Falcon intervenes on the rebound, and it hits the post again.

Vancouver in championship form here.

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Goooooaaalll!!!! Miami 1-1 Vancouver (Ahmed 60)

The ball is played into White, who attracts a lot of attention and spots Ahmed across the top of the box. Ahmed shoots near post, surprising Rios Novo. The Miami keeper gets part of it, but the ball trickles across the line.

Game on? Game on!

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59 min:The passing combination was there for Vancouver, but they just canâ€t complete it.

Vancouver keep getting closer.

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58 min:Müller has a shot blocked. Berhalter down in the area somehow. Messi somehow going the other way with the ball. More bodies on the turf. Weâ€re at warp speed here.

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Ben Morton writes: “This is my first MLS game, incredible energy from the players and a great atmosphere in the stadium coming through the screen. Utterly compelling. Hoping to see Messi lift the cup. Feels like there could be a Red Card out there for someone though…â€

My moneyâ€s on Falcon.

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56 min: CHANCE for Miami!Alba puts in a dangerous cross thatâ€s punched out but not too far, and Messi has a free header from 15 yards out that goes tantalizingly wide.

Sub: Segovia replaces Rodriguez.

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53 min:Another Vancouver free kick as Allen makes a wrestling move on Ocampo. Near the hash mark to denote 10 yards away from a corner kick. Tough angle, nothing comes of it.

But Ahmed collects it and slaloms through the Miami defense most menacingly before surrendering the ball. The Vancouver forward is asking some questions of this experienced Miami defense.

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51 min:Vancouver have a kickabout unencumbered by any Miami pressure.

And … oh boy … Ahmed just went down just inside the penalty area. Falcon barks at him when he gets up. Probably neither a foul nor a dive – just incidental contact.

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50 min:And someone in the stands can now claim they were nearly hit by a Sebastian Berhalter free kick.

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48 min:Ahmed races past Falcon, who responds by knocking him down. Fischer responds by showing yellow, and Sebastian Berhalter might fancy his chances from here.

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47 min:You know what I hate as a referee? People whining about who should have possession of the ball after it goes out of play when weâ€re all screened and canâ€t see who had it last. Itâ€s a throw-in or a corner, not a Messi free kick from 22 yards out.

Speaking of free kicks from 22 yards out …

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Second halfis underway. Seems like much of the crowd is in line for concessions or the bathroom.

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The MLS site says Vancouver has had 58.23% of the possession. Theyâ€ve had 250 passes to Miamiâ€s 149. And they committed 14 fouls to Miamiâ€s 10.

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Halftime: Miami 1-0 Vancouver

If you tuned in for Messi v Müller, you might be disappointed. But what we have instead is a pulsating final with an early goal that has made things open up.

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45 min +2:Itâ€s in the net – the top side of it. Flag goes up anyway.

But the good news for Miami is that theyâ€ve weathered the Vancouver storm.

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45 min +1:Silvetti hits the turf and tries to remember which body part heâ€s going to claim was injured in a collision. He gets the call. Seems dodgy.

Free kick to Miami, but probably outside Messiâ€s shooting range.

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45 min: Yellow to Ocampo for throwing his body in front of Rodriguez with the ball traveling the side of the field. Not a half to remember for the Vancouver defender.

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42 min:Itâ€s one-way traffic now. Miami canâ€t get a sniff of the ball.

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41 min: LEAPING SAVEby Rios Novo, who nearly falls back across his own line with the ball but alertly leans forward and holds the ball just shy of the target.

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38 min: POINT-BLANK SAVEby Rios Novo after a Whitecaps free kick is recycled into the box by Müller. Ahmed had the goal at his mercy but put it right at the Miami keeperâ€s chest.

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Updated at 15.27 EST

36 min:Everybody seems mad at our referee, Drew Fischer. Maybe they should quit banging into each other and/or falling down on the slightest touch.

Free kick Vancouver, but players are just falling like dominoes in the box.

Now another free kick, and a Miami player risks a card by pulling the ball away as Fischer approaches.

Yellowto someone on the Miami bench. Itâ€s not head coach Javier Mascherano.

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35 min:You know who has barely made a significant touch on the ball in this game? Thatâ€d be Thomas Müller.

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34 min: CHANCEfor Vancouver as White gets a head on the free kick, but itâ€s right at Rios Novo.

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Lionel Messi will play for another trophy. Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets clearly arenâ€t ready to begin their retirements, either.

Tadeo Allande scored three goals – Alba and Busquets, a pair of longtime Messi teammates who will retire when this season ends, had the assists on his first two – and Inter Miami topped New York City FC 5-1 on Saturday night for the Eastern Conference title and a berth in the MLS Cup final.

“We have reached the final with a brotherhood of moving forward,†Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. “The power of one group can overcome many things.â€

Mateo Silvetti scored in the 67th minute for Inter Miami, with Messi setting up that goal – his 405th assist of his career for club and country, which is generally believed to be the most in soccer history. Telasco Segovia scored off a heel pass from Alba in the 83rd minute to turn it into a runaway, and Allande finishing off the hat-trick in the 89th minute was the final play.

Inter Miami – the No 3 seed in the East – will play host to Vancouver Whitecaps for the league title on 6 December at 2.30pm ET. The Whitecaps defeated San Diego FC 3-1 in the Western Conference final later on Saturday night.

“This is a very satisfying result but the work continues,†Allende said in Spanish. “There is still work to do but happy with what we have accomplished.â€

Itâ€ll be the first MLS final appearance for Inter Miami, who had never made it past the opening postseason round in any of its first five seasons. Messiâ€s club went 0-2 against Vancouver this season, losing both legs of a semi-final meeting in the Concacaf Champions Cup by a 5-1 aggregate score.

Justin Haak scored in the 37th minute for NYC FC, who went 0-2-1 against Inter Miami this season.

The win moves Inter Miami one step closer to another trophy, after winning the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters†Shield as MLS†top regular-season team last year. Messi, a World Cup champion for Argentina and now eight-time Ballon dâ€Or winner, joined the team midway through the 2023 season when it was at the bottom of the MLS standings and in an 11-match winless streak.

Now? The clubâ€s brand is global, Messiâ€s No 10 jersey in the clubâ€s pink kit is sold all over the world, a new stadium near Miami International Airport is on the way for next season, Messi is signed through 2028, he seems like a lock to win his second consecutive MLS MVP award and the team is on the brink of an MLS title.

Stars flock to see this team because of Messi; tennis great Carlos Alcaraz was there Saturday night, as were some members of the US womenâ€s national team.

Messi got struck along the left side of his head in the ninth minute and was briefly shaken up, remaining down near the center circle for a few seconds before eventually getting to his feet. He got tripped with Inter Miami on the attack about two minutes later, then took a direct kick from about 30 yards out – playing it into the box, but Silvettiâ€s header was easily caught by NYC FC goalkeeper Matt Freese.

Inter Miamiâ€s next chance came a minute later. This one was cashed in – a long pass from Busquets was controlled by Allende, who easily beat Freese from about 12 yards out for a 1-0 lead.

Allende struck again on a header off a long pass from Alba in the 23rd minute, making it 2-0. And after Messi set Silvetti up for the 3-1 lead, what essentially was a 25-minute or so countdown to a celebration was under way.

Whitecaps†early strikes end San Diegoâ€s magical debut season

Vancouver will now face a long away trip to Miami for MLS Cup. Photograph: Denis Poroy/AP

Brian White scored a first-half brace and the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps comfortably secured their first MLS Cup final appearance with a 3-1 victory over San Diego FC in Saturday nightâ€s Western Conference Final.

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Andrés Cubas and Ali Ahmed connected to set up both of Whiteâ€s goals for No 2 seed Vancouver, who will visit Eastern champion Inter Miami next Saturday in a meeting of teams who have never won MLSâ€s top honor.

Itâ€s also a rematch of this Aprilâ€s Concacaf Champions Cup semi-final, in which Vancouver earned a 5-1 aggregate victory over two legs.

Ahmed also had the shot that led to Vancouverâ€s other first-half tally, ultimately credited as an own goal to San Diego goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega.

Half-time substitute Hirving Lozano pulled a heavily deflected goal back for Western Conference No 1 seen San Diego, who completed the deepest playoff run by an MLS expansion side since the Chicago Fire won MLS Cup 1998.

The hosts finished with 10 men after Sisniega was sent off in the 79th minute for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

Despite scoring 16 regular-season goals, recent injuries had prevented White from scoring since late September.

That changed quickly during Vancouverâ€s brilliant first half.

Cubas did exceptional work to set up Whiteâ€s first, creating the opportunity by forcing a turnover on the left flank before combining on an intricate sequence with Ahmed to get into the left side of the penalty area.

From there, Cubas guided a low ball to the back post where White met it with a sliding finish from close range in the eighth minute.

Three minutes later, Emmanuel Sabbi worked down the right by combining with Thomas Müller before seeing Sisniega deny his effort from in close.

The rebound rolled to the penalty area where Ahmed met it with a first-time strike which the scrambling Sisniega saved, only to inadvertently turn it across his own line.

White used his chest to guide in his second goal after another combination from Cubas and Ahmed down the left, this time with Ahmed providing the final outsinging service to pick out White only a couple of yards out and in plenty of space in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.

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Image credit: Max Clark (Photo by Paul R. Gierhart via Bill Mitchell) As they have in more than seven out…