The 2025 Leagues Cup Final was a battle of two tremendous soccer teams, yes, but it was also a clash of conflicting ideologies. In one corner, Inter Miami was led by the greatest player of all time in Lionel Messi along with several of his former club and international teammates in Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Rodrigo De Paul. On paper, they form an All-Star team of superstars the likes of which Major League Soccer has never seen before.
And in the other corner was the Seattle Sounders, a team ruthless and dogmatic in its commitment to excellence, despite missing several key contributors and without the global fanfare that follows its Floridian counterparts. They were a team hellbent on success with whomever stepped on the pitch.
In the Sounders’ 3-0 win at Lumen Field on Sunday night, the latter prevailed.
“This is a group of good human beings who work hard and believe in each other and play for each other, and I’m really proud that our method won out tonight,” said Sounders winger Paul Rothrock. “That’s a special, special game for the Sounders.”
One would have to look no further than the score sheet for proof. The game’s opening goal was scored by Osaze De Rosario, a de facto third-string forward starting because of an injury to Jordan Morris and a suspension to Danny Musovski. De Rosario began the year with Tacoma Defiance in MLS NEXT Pro before playing his way into a contract and scoring four goals in five Leagues Cup matches.
Alex Roldan buried the Sounders’ second goal from the penalty spot after winger Georgi Minoungou was fouled in the box. The 23-year-old Ivorian worked his way to the First Team last year after playing for the Tacoma Defiance as well.
And Rothrock, who capped the festivities with a beautifully taken goal in the 89th minute, is a kid from Capitol Hill who came through the Academy, journeyed through college and found his way home with Defiance before earning a First Team contract in 2023.
“I think it’s pretty easy to see the narrative that it was a team of very special individuals against a collective team that works really hard for each other,” said Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas. “This was literally 11 guys [on the field] who worked unbelievably hard to get the result.”
Added De Rosario: “We desire the collective. Everybody’s involved and it shows. Everybody’s here working hard, and we all want the same thing. We all want to win. It just shows the mentality of the team.”
Seattle has had some big names come through its clubhouse. Clint Dempsey, Nicolás Lodeiro, Obafemi Martins, Raúl Ruidíaz and others have donned the Rave Green and won hardware. But there’s something about the makeup of this specific group of players that feels like it can reach an even higher gear.
“We have a great team,” said Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “They might not be the names that are in the world stage, but they’re certainly talented people, talented players. They put everything into their craft.
“They’re not household names across the world, but as a collective they’re very strong,” he continued. “That again is what gave us the advantage.”
Winning titles has been embedded in Seattle’s DNA since it entered MLS in 2009. The Sounders racked up their ninth trophy on Sunday, completing their trophy cabinet with every major title available to them in North America.
The Sounders boast four U.S. Open Cups, two MLS Cups, a Supporters’ Shield, a Concacaf Champions League trophy and now a Leagues Cup. Their consistent pillar of excellence has been a vital part of the club’s identity, and that level of success is one that requires effort from every single person involved.
“This game was very much a validation of Sounders culture and who we are,” said Rothrock. “We’ve got more Homegrown kids and college players than anybody else. That’s a credit to Schmetzer. That’s a credit to the front office. That’s a credit to the staff we have. That was an organizational win tonight…It was beautiful.”
For Schmetzer, a Seattleite who has spent his life as a steward and ambassador for the club, it was hard to keep his emotions in check, breaking down slightly in his postgame press conference as he heaped praise onto the entire Sounders staff, as well as the nearly 70,000 fans who showed up as part of a club-record attendance.
“The organization top to bottom, coaches, everybody, they deserve this,” he said. “The fans deserve this win.”
