For Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, Saturday’s MLS Cup final provides the chance to finally secure a major title in a season long on strong performances but short on silverware.

For Thomas Müller and the Vancouver Whitecaps, it brings the chance to not become totally forgotten.

That’s the harsh reality for any opponent that strives for sunlight amid the enormous shadow cast by Messi and his star-studded Herons squad.

So while the rest of the soccer world tries to anticipate just what a Messi title victory would mean for the profile of MLS, let’s take a moment to give the Whitecaps their due as one of the exceptional sides in league history.

Just how exceptional are the Whitecaps?

They’re only the eighth team in MLS history to reach the final in the modern era of the Concacaf Champions

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