Inter Miami casually did something that no other MLS team has before

The Lionel Messi project at Inter Miami was vindicated last weekend as they won MLS Cup. The Herons defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 to seal the division's biggest prize.

Messi has been instrumental for Miami off the field; he has boosted attendance, which will inevitably help soccer grow in North America. However, had he not won MLS Cup, his tenure at Miami would have been seen as a failure. This is despite him scoring 77 goals with 44 assists in 88 games for the club.

The situation is very similar to Sir David Beckham's with the LA Galaxy. When he finally won MLS Cup with the Galaxy in 2011, there was a huge sense of relief. Beckham then backed this up by winning it the following year. He is, of course, now one of Miami's co-owners and will want to replicate this success with the Herons.

Miami also set a new record for the most MLS goals in regular season and playoffs combined, with 101. A supporter on Reddit was particularly proud of this stat, writing, "Most goals in regular season and playoffs combined. Only 2 of those 101 are pens."

Are we in for a period of Inter Miami dominance?

The match with Vancouver also signaled the end of an era. It was the final game for Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. Both players are now retiring; their experience will be missed in Miami's roster.

Messi is staying on, as he is contracted to Miami until 2028. However, it remains to be seen how he will fare without his friends Alba and Busquets. There is uncertainty as to Luis Suarez's future at the club, with his deal expiring at the end of the year, and no public decision made on it so far.

Rodrigo De Paul has been instrumental on loan from Atletico Madrid, and Miami has the option to sign him permanently. Javier Mascherano has proved himself as a manager after previously only working with Argentina's U23s and U20s. Some big names will no doubt be joining Miami in the future. The MLS Cup win makes them an even more attractive option. Timo Werner, of RB Leipzig, has been linked with joining the Herons.

Other teams will find it difficult to compete with Inter Miami. The Columbus Crew have lost their influential head coach, Wilfried Nancy, to Celtic. Vancouver are becoming perenial nearly men after also losing in to Cruz Azul in the Champions Cup final earlier this year.