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Inter Miami vs. New York City FC: Three Key Battles That Could Decide MLS Eastern Conference Final

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Inter Miami vs. New York City FC: Three Key Battles That Could Decide MLS Eastern Conference Final


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, Matt Freese

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

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 - MLS Cup

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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Miami-Dade deputies detain elderly father who they say shot and killed his son after a domestic dispute

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Miami-Dade deputies detain elderly father who they say shot and killed his son after a domestic dispute


A 75-year-old man has been detained after Miami-Dade deputies say he shot and killed his son after a domestic dispute in Palmetto Bay.

This happened, according to investigators,  at approximately 4:49 p.m. in the area of SW 168th Street and 92nd Avenue.

When deputies arrived, they found the elderly man, who had not yet been identified, and immediately detained him for questioning.

Afterwards, they conducted a security sweep and found an adult male, 47, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

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Deputies say this isn’t the first time they have responded to the home.

“We have responded to this particular residence in the past due to mental health-type incidents,” MDSO PIO Detective Argemis “AC” Colome said.

Deputies say the dispatcher heard a dispute happening over the phone during the 911 call, but it’s unclear what led to the shooting and who was having the mental health crisis.

“The individual who shot was the father, and the male deceased on the scene was the son,” Colome said. 

Neighbors reacted to this family tragedy with shock. 

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“So sad, a little bit concerned cause maybe you’re, you know, you’re staying somewhere, and you don’t know what’s actually happening at the other houses,”  Giorgos Kollilekas, who lives in the area, said.  

Colome said that there is no danger to the community as this was the result of a domestic dispute. 

“There’s always help, please, there’s a lot of hotlines, there’s a lot of numbers. You can call us. At the end of the day, getting help early can mitigate situations like this,” Colome said. 

No other information has been released, including the identities of those involved or what caused the dispute.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Cain, Kushner launch South Florida JV with plans for Edgewater rental tower  

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Cain, Kushner launch South Florida JV with plans for Edgewater rental tower  


Cain and Kushner are launching a South Florida real estate joint venture, planning a luxury apartment tower in Edgewater for their first project, The Real Deal has learned. 

London-based Cain, led by Jonathan Goldstein, and New York-based Kushner, led by Laurent Morali and Nicole Kushner Meyer, plan a 40-story, 364-unit project on Cain’s 1.5-acre site at 614 and 720 Northeast 27th Street in Miami, according to a news release. The property is near the Missoni Baia condo tower that Cain co-developed with Vlad Doronin’s OKO Group.  

BDT & MSD Partners provided a $42 million loan for the project, which is in the pre-development phase. Construction is expected to start late next year, the release says. 

The Cain-Kushner JV is targeting residential and mixed-use investments and developments in the tri-county region. 

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“We are looking at all opportunities that we think are sensible,” Goldstein said. 

Their South Florida JV comes as the region is experiencing another influx of out-of-staters after the pandemic-era boom, only this time the in-migration is primarily of wealthy individuals and their companies amid the blue-to-red-state migration. 

Yet, Cain and Kushner’s plans for Edgewater apartments come as the multifamily market has softened due to hefty deliveries in recent years. A record 18,600 units were completed in 2024, outpacing leasing that year by about 20 percent, CoStar Group data shows. Although construction starts have slowed, last year’s 12,718 unit completions still surpassed total leasing for the year by about 1,000 apartments.

It has led to slower lease-ups, more concessions and a drop in the average asking rents across South Florida. 

Developers starting projects now have said demand will catch up by the time they finish their buildings, with many adding that South Florida remains a strong apartment market. Many are betting on luxury rentals, which CoStar’s data showed made up the bulk of leasing in recent years. 

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“We are big believers in South Florida and big believers in Miami,” Goldstein said. 

Cain, backed by Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries, has been investing in South Florida for nearly a decade, with the JV in some ways marking its second chapter in the region. 

Cain’s most recent project is the Delano Miami Beach renovation. The hotel, which closed in 2020, is expected to reopen in time for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix early next month. 

Aside from the Missoni Baia condo tower, Cain also partnered with OKO on the Una Residences condo tower in Brickell and the 57-story 830 Brickell office tower. The office building was completed in 2024 fully pre-leased, catching a demand surge during the pandemic-era in-migration of out-of-state companies to Miami. Cain also is an investor in Doronin’s hospitality firm Aman Group.

Kushner has a presence in Miami’s Edgewater, completing the 37-story, 420-unit apartment tower at 2000 Biscayne Boulevard in 2024, with plans for more residential development next-door at 1900 Biscayne Boulevard. It also purchased the 276-unit Hamilton apartment building at 555 Northeast 34th Street from Aimco. 

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Elsewhere, Kushner plans a 932-unit multifamily development at 300 West Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. It borrowed a $115 million construction loan last year for a luxury 68-unit apartment project in Surfside. And it scored approval in October for a 470-unit rental building and synagogue development near Hollywood’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

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Cain scores $4B financing for One Beverly Hills megaproject

Newgard Development Group's Harvey Hernandez, Kushner’s Laurent Morali and Nicole Kushner Meyer with rendering of Natiivo Fort Lauderdale

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Natiivo Fort Lauderdale site heads to auction after $26M foreclosure judgment

Cain's Jonathan Goldstein with Delano Miami Beach and 830 Brickell

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Cain’s Jonathan Goldstein on his next Miami project, the branded condo bandwagon and Brickell’s office market





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May a steadying presence as Cards hold off Marlins in Miami

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May a steadying presence as Cards hold off Marlins in Miami


MIAMI — Dustin May attacked the strike zone and got ahead in counts, allowing his arsenal to play at its best in the Cardinals’ 5-3 win over the Marlins at loanDepot park on Tuesday.
The right-hander consistently set the tone early, either landing a first-pitch strike or inducing a foul



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