What started as a cheeky comment from Seattle local and longtime head coach Brian Schmetzer turned into a moment that will go down in Seattle Sounders FC history.
“Messi is, arguably, the best player the world has ever seen,” the poised and thoughtful 63-year-old said ahead of the 2025 Leagues Cup Final. “But we have Paul Rothrock.”
Come the final whistle in front of over 69,000 mostly-Sounders fans at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday, it was indeed Rothrock with the last laugh. The 26-year-old scored the dagger goal in the 89th minute to seal a 3–0 win over Messi’s Inter Miami, and claim the title for Seattle.
“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,” Rothrock said. “That’s a special, special game for the Sounders.”
Paul Rothrock seals #LeaguesCup2025 title for the Sounders FC 🏆 pic.twitter.com/RnqLUf0PHz
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) September 1, 2025
While a ferocious scuffle broke out after his goal and the final whistle, which saw what looked to be several punches and a potential spit from Luis Suárez at a Sounders staff member, the moment for Rothrock and the Sounders to lift the trophy finally arrived.
A ninth trophy in their history, and a landmark moment as they became the first MLS club to win all available titles, adding the Leagues Cup to their two MLS Cups, four U.S. Open Cups, Supporters’ Shield and Concacaf Champions Cup.
In many ways, it was poetic. The 26-year-old American, who toiled in USL before finally establishing himself as a Sounders regular, outshone Messi and the stars of Miami, who fell short of a trophy for the fourth time since winning the 2023 Leagues Cup.
And Rothrock’s goal came after Osaze De Rosario, the son of four-time MLS Cup champion Dwayne De Rosario, and Alex Roldan, who fought the odds to find his critical role with the Sounders had already found the back of the net.
Allllll the love to the De Rosario fam. Iconic. 🕺❤️ pic.twitter.com/r4MqXwezd4
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 1, 2025
Prior to the game, hundreds of fans also took part in a Sounders club promotion, which offered a free Rothrock kit in exchange for a Messi kit, and the boys in Rave Green lived up to the hype afterwards with their performance.
“We have a great team...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,” Schmetzer said. “They’re not household names across the world, but as a collective they’re very strong.”
Unlike other moments across the league when Messi and Miami have come to town, Sunday was different–– and Seattle always has been. It’s a soccer city at heart, with the Sounders dating back to 1974, long before their success as an MLS team.
There were Messi fans, of course, and many may have come out to catch a glimpse of one of the best ever to lace up a pair of boots. Still, a title for Seattle rings different, especially on a team that has dealt with significant injuries and other challenges all season.
“The organization from top to bottom, the coaches, everybody, they deserve this,” Schmetzer added. “The fans deserve this win...But credit to everybody in the organization.”
Winning at Home a Key to Sounders Identity
While picking up a record ninth trophy looms as a significant bragging point in American soccer, so too does the club’s dominance in finals when played at Lumen Field – they’re now five for five.
Sunday marked the first final the Sounders had played in since winning the 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup against Pumas UNAM, also on a raucous night at Lumen Field, which followed other title-winning days in the U.S. Open Cup and 2019 MLS Cup.
Yet, it’s trophies that act as the club’s bedrock. They may not be known as the team that signs the flashiest names or brings in the most expensive players, but their identity is built on winning, and they kept that up with the Leagues Cup, which couldn’t have come against a more defining opponent.
The perfect ending to a Cup Final 😆
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) September 1, 2025
Shoutout to @teddyswims for bringing the guys up on stage at @WAMUTheater tonight after the @LeaguesCup Final! pic.twitter.com/02whMKvC09
“Not a lot of players can say they have beaten Messi in a final,” De Rosario said, Champagne goggles hooked to his forehead after the match. “I don’t know what Miami is doing, but they are not winning the Leagues Cup this year.”
With the win, though, it opens up further dreams for the Sounders. With a roster featuring several Homegrown players, MLS SuperDraft picks, and signings from MLS Next Pro side Tacoma Defiance, they can dream of adding more, with their eyes set on the MLS Cup Playoffs this fall.
Meanwhile, they also clinched a berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup for 2026, and will skip over Round One, joining the competition in the Round of 16. Inter Miami and third-place Leagues Cup finishers LA Galaxy will enter in the opening round of the knockout competition.
“This game was very much a validation of the Sounders culture and who we are, and we’ve got more homegrown kids and college players than anybody else,” Rothrock said. “That's a credit to Schmetz, that’s a credit to the front office, that’s a credit to the staff we have.”
Inter Miami Player Ratings vs. Seattle Sounders (4-3-3)
Seattle Sounders Player Ratings vs. Inter Miami (4-2-3-1)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 'Validation' – Sounders Build Faith in Club Identity with Leagues Cup Triumph over Inter Miami.
