Inter Miami CF secured a historic victory with a 5-1 win against New York City FC on Saturday night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, marking the club’s first-ever MLS Cup appearance.
Tadeo Allende led the offensive charge for the Herons in the Eastern Conference final, netting two of his three goals within the first 23 minutes.
New York briefly rallied with a goal from Justin Haak, just before halftime; however, Inter Miami’s defense and goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo effectively halted their momentum.
In the second half, Mateo Silvetti, who joined Inter Miami in August 2025, extended the lead to 3-1, assisted by Lionel Messi. Telasco Segovia further boosted Miami’s score with a goal just ten minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Allende, a 26-year-old Argentine on loan from Celta de Vigo, earned the title of player of the match. He has scored eight goals during the playoffs, including three multi-goal performances, propelling Inter Miami to the final.
Inter Miami will compete in the MLS Cup against the winner of the Western Conference final between San Diego FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Miami finished the regular season in third place in the East with 65 points, while both San Diego and Vancouver had 63 points.
The Herons previously defeated Nashville SC in a best-of-three Round 1 series and advanced past FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference semifinal at TQL Stadium. Notably, Miami had been unable to progress beyond the first round of the playoffs in 2020, 2022, and 2024.
Among the attendees at Saturday’s match were tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz and several members of the U.S. women’s national soccer team.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.