Inter Miami are in the form of their lives. They hope this continues when they welcome New York City FC to Chase Stadium on Saturday night for the Eastern Conference final, with a berth in the 2025 MLS Cup on the line.
While Miami brings star power and holds home pitch advantage, they come up against a New York City side riding high after eliminating the Supporters’ Shield winners. And there are reasons for NYCFC to believe they can pull off another upset here.
Sports Illustrated takes a look at three key battles that could define which team earns the honor of facing San Diego FC or Vancouver Whitecaps FC in MLS Cup on Dec. 6
Lionel Messi (left) looks to get the better of Matt Freese (right) in the playoffs. / Jeff Dean/Getty Images, Adam Hunger/Getty Images
Lionel Messi has been on an absolute heater for Inter Miami all season and has taken things a step further in the playoffs. After a regular season that saw him score 29 goals and register 19 assists in 29 games, he now has six goals and six assists in just four playoff games.
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But, he hasn’t seen a goalkeeper like U.S. men’s national team backstop, Matt Freese. The 27-year-old has been in stellar form as well, posting five saves–including four outstanding stops–against the Philadelphia Union, to help NYCFC advance past the Supporters’ Shield champions.
While Messi has shown his ability to score in nearly every way possible, the clear-cut opportunities he saw and created against FC Cincinnati and Nashville will be fewer against a stronger defensive team. The opportunities he does get will come up against a better goalie between the posts.
If NYCFC pulls off the upset, Freese will have a big part to play in it. If he’s not on his game, well, Miami can put together its plans to beat San Diego or the Whitecaps in MLS Cup.
Sergio Busquets will battle in midfield against Kevin O’Toole. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Kevin O’Toole has had quite a few weeks. He was called up to Ireland for the first time, making the bench as the Irish beat Portugal in a game Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off. Now, he’s clashing with Sergio Busquets in midfield, as well as Messi and the other stars in Miami.
If anyone is playing with confidence, it’s him. Against Philadelphia, he shut down Danley Jean Jaques and recorded eight defensive contributions.
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He will likely be paired with Aidan O’Neill (who served a one-match suspension against Philadelphia) and tasked with combating Busquets in central midfield, and working the ball away from the Spaniard and Rodrigo De Paul. Busquets, in particular, has been potent with his ability to slide passes through Nashville and FC Cincinnati’s midfield and clogging things up in that area of the pitch will be critical for NYCFC.
Lionel Messi was unable to help Inter Miami to a win in the 2025 Leagues Cup final against Seattle Sounders FC. / Rich Lam/Getty Images
Outside of the individual player level, the mentality of both teams is starkly different, with NYCFC on the road and Inter Miami facing a match of defining proportions.
Led by the veteran poise of Maxi Moralez, New York City FC knows how to win playoff games on the road. In their run to the 2021 MLS Cup title, NYCFC played every game after the first round on the road, just as they would have to do should they make it all the way to the trophy this time around.
Meanwhile, Miami has fallen short in the most defining games. So far through the playoffs, it has been about seeing off disaster in the wake of the 2024 first-round elimination against Atlanta United.
They have been able to push the season through two rounds for the first time in club history, but now comes their first massive test–they would even get to lift the Eastern Conference trophy should they win here.
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Miami’s ability to win trophies doesn’t paint a pretty picture: A 2024 Leagues Cup final loss and a 2023 U.S. Open Cup loss hangs alongside their 2023 Leagues Cup title, the only knockout trophy Miami has captured to date.
On Saturday, one of those aspects has to fall. Will it be NYCFC’s away abilities, or Miami’s poor record in big games?
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President Donald Trump on Monday teased the plans for his presidential library in Miami.
Trump posted a video on Truth Social that shows a tall, glass building with a large needle on top. The building has his last name in gold lettering across its facade, an American flag hanging down the middle and a presidential plane displayed on the first floor. (A Boeing 747 given to Trump by the Qatari government is set to be displayed in his presidential library once he leaves office.)
The size of the proposed building dwarfs the nearby Freedom Tower, a downtown Miami landmark that carries special significance to Cuban immigrants in Florida — a key demographic that helped Trump win historically blue Miami-Dade County in 2024.
The video also shows replicas from Trump’s time in the White House, including the Oval Office, the West Colonnade featuring his so-called presidential walk of fame and his anticipated ballroom.
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The presidential library will be designed by the Miami-based architecture and engineering firm Bermello Ajamil.
The site of the library — a prime piece of Miami real estate that borders the city’s waterfront — is a nearly 3-acre property valued at more than $67 million. The parcel became the source of a legal battle last fall after a federal judge paused the transfer of the land from a local college to the state. The judge ultimately threw out the case in December and allowed the transfer to continue.
The proposed site is not far from Trump National Doral, a resort owned by Trump’s family business.
In his Truth Social post sharing the video, Trump also included a link where people can donate to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation Inc.
Jon-Eric Sullivan — new Miami Dolphins general manager — has been busy acquiring a war chest of draft picks for the 2026 NFL Draft. The team currently has 11 picks in April’s selection process — including two first rounders and four third round picks.
While the team has plenty of holes in their roster that desperately need to be filled, could Sullivan’s stockpiling of picks have been conducted with the idea that the Dolphins want to move up in the first round of the draft in order to land an elite prospect?
Yesterday, Washington Commanders beat writer, Josh Taylor, dropped an interesting social media post where he said that he’s heard from two separate sources that the Dolphins and Commanders are in talks about a trade that would see Washington trade back from pick #7 in the first round in order for Miami to move up from pick #11.
Again, with Miami needing to upgrade at so many positions, it’s hard to guess which player the team might be targeting, but safety Caleb Downs, offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, linebacker Sonny Styles, defensive linemen Rueben Bain and David Bailey are just some of the names that the Dolphins could be interested in.
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Of course, as Taylor states, these whispers could remain just that — whispers.
With the Dolphins in full-on rebuilding mode, the team needs to bring in as many young, talented players as possible. Trading away draft picks instead of adding more would not help them to accomplish that goal. However, with the 2026 NFL Draft kicking off in less than a month, we won’t have to wait long to discover what Sullivan’s ultimate plan for his first draft as Dolphins general manager ultimately ends up being.
Witness video captures immediate aftermath of police shooting in Downtown Miami
MIAMI — Video captured by a witness shows what happened after a police shooting that occurred on Saturday in Miami.
It happened outside the Yve Hotel along Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast Second Street.
The video obtained by Local 10 News shows the immediate response to the man being shot.
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Miami’s police chief said the man was causing a commotion outside the hotel, and tasing him didn’t stop him.
After things got physical, one of the officers opened fire on the man.
Authorities said he is recovering and expected to be okay.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting, as is customary when an officer opens fire.
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David Dwork
David Dwork joined the WPLG Local 10 News team in August 2019. Born and raised in Miami-Dade County, David has covered South Florida sports since 2007.
