MLS Cup will be the second final between Thomas Müller and Lionel Messi. They met in the 2014 World Cup final. (Photo: Carlos Ezequiel Vannoni/Fotoarena/Icon Sportswire)

One way of another, MLS will have its first World Cup champion lift the MLS Cup trophy on Saturday.

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Paul Kennedy edited Soccer America for 41 years (1985-2026). He began writing for SA in 1974. He started writing for France Football in 1978 and has served on in Ballon d'Or jury since 2007.