Saturday’s MLS Cup Final between Inter Miami and the Vancouver Whitecaps will mark the third head-to-head meeting between the two clubs this season, and one for all the marbles in relation to league bragging rights.

Vancouver rolled past Inter Miami 5-1 on aggregate in last April’s CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals, a pair of results that were not expected by many. Caps’ striker Brian White and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter both scored two goals apiece over the two legs while Pedro Vite also found the scoresheet for good measure.

Despite Inter Miami’s star quartet of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets all being involved in the series, Javier Mascherano’s Herons struggled against their Canadian counterparts, suffering two of their more disappointing defeats of 2025.

Mascherano admitted that plenty has changed for both teams since April’s showdown, praising Vancouver’s overall abilities, but also voicing confidence in his team’s growth outside of his international stars.

“Obviously, they were much better than us in April, but the situation isn’t the same now,” Mascherano said in a press conference. “We’re in a different situation. Now we’re heading into the final with confidence and with some different players.

“We know they have a very, very good team,” he added. “I don’t like to talk about some players because they have many, many good players. But ultimately, we have our tools to play our game and try to be better than them.”

Both Miami and Vancouver have boosted their rosters since April, with the Herons acquiring Argentina international Rodrigo De Paul and the Whitecaps bringing in longtime German and Bayern Munich legend Thomas Muller. Muller has made a major splash in Canada, scoring eight goals and providing two assists in 11 league appearances.

He’s helped the Whitecaps reach their first-ever MLS Cup Final and also lift their first Western Conference title along the way. Muller, who has had plenty of showdowns with Messi, Suarez, Busquets, and Alba during his club and international career, is excited for the reunion with the quartet, but also energized by the challenge of his Whitecaps team taking on a very strong Inter Miami squad.

“I think this match is great,” Muller said in a press conference. “I know you guys and the media and also MLS, it makes sense also to make a point with Messi and with myself and the bigger names, but I think it’s about two teams with a very attractive and good looking playing style. It’s the perfect final in my opinion. I appreciate being part of it.”

“For me it’s always nice to meet old friends,” he added. “We are not really close, but I was always watching them play and they are great players, they were great players. Some of them still are. It’s always nice when you can look back to your own history to meet them again.”

Mascherano might be on the sidelines and not on the playing field on Saturday, but that doesn’t mean he has a great past of facing off with Muller. Muller and Germany defeated Mascherano, Messi and Argentina twice in international action (2010, 2014), with one of those victories coming in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final.

While many of the Whitecaps players have enjoyed stellar 2025 years (White, Berhalter, etc), the addition of Muller has truly pushed them over the edge of contending with MLS’ elite clubs. Mascherano knows what the presence of Muller in the Vancouver squad has done for the club and hopes that Miami can have success against the 36-year-old.

“I don’t have good memories of him,” joked Mascherano when asked about Muller. “He’s a player I’ve had to face for many years, both with the national team and at the club level. A player who is obviously one of the best of his generation, a world champion, he’s won everything with Bayern. A player who brings a different level of prestige not only to Vancouver, but to the league and MLS as a whole. A truly great player. Let’s hope that tomorrow luck is on our side.”

Vancouver will hope that players like White, Berhalter, Emmanuel Sabbi and others can contribute majorly at Chase Stadium on Saturday, like they have been doing all season in Western Canada. In addition, the arrival of Muller and his 35-trophy lifts during his Bayern Munich and Germany career, should help bring a sense of calmness in the squad, especially given the fact that many Whitecaps players only just lifted the first trophy of their career back in October (Canadian Championship).

Despite having played in many big games in his career, Muller isn’t expecting his past success or triumphs to have a say in Saturday’s newest opportunity.

“When I look back in the past I feel very comfortable with that because that’s already in the books,” Muller said. “And I had a lot of great experience in these games with my teams, so it was fun. But it doesn’t really matter for Saturday.

“It’s a new game, maybe it gives you the feeling that I always have my confidence to beat someone or to compete with someone as a team and as an individual,” he added. “So I don’t need my history that much to be confident and the same as the boys who won against Inter Miami this season twice, but what does it mean? It gives you a little bit of good feeling but in the end the game is decided on the pitch. Saturday is in the future. It’s a nice thing to talk about and I hope we can continue to talk about it Saturday after the game.”