Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep206: MLS Cup (Final) Today!

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Ep206: MLS Cup (Final) Today! · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts yours.
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  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today we are talking about one huge soccer event in North
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  America, the 2025 MLS Cup final, scheduled to begin this
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  afternoon. This is the championship game
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  for Major League Soccer, which is the top professional Soccer
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  League in the United States and Canada the two teams playing for
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  the trophy are Inter Miami CF from Florida and Vancouver
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  Whitecaps FC from Canada. They are the of the Eastern
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  Conference and Western Conference and now they meet to
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  decide who is number 1 in the league this season.
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  The game is played at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL,
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  which is Inter Miami's home stadium.
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  The match kicks off in the afternoon in the United States
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  and late morning on the West Coast so fans all across North
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  America can watch it live at a comfortable time.
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  Inter Miami gets to host because they had the better regular
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  season record, which means they earned more points over the
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  whole season than Vancouver. That is 1 reward for doing well
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  from the very start of the year. Let's get into some of the
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  biggest news about this MLS Cup final and why it is such a
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  special match. One major story is that this is
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  Vancouver Whitecaps FC's first ever MLS Cup appearance.
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  The Whitecaps joined Major League Soccer in 2011 and they
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  have made the playoffs several times, but they have never
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  reached the final game until now.
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  This season, they finally broke through, winning big matches in
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  the Western Conference playoffs to reach the championship.
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  They beat FC Dallas in round one, survived a tough series
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  against LAFC that went all the way to penalty kicks, and then
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  defeated San Diego FC in the Western Conference Final to
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  claim their spot in the MLS Cup. That playoff run took a lot of
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  focus, strong defense and important goals at the right
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  moments. Another big piece of news is
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  that Inter Miami has been on an incredible run led by world
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  famous star Lionel Messi. Messi won the MLS Golden Boot
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  this season for scoring the most goals in the regular season with
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  29 goals and 19 assists. That means he either scored or
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  set up a huge number of his team's goals over the whole
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  year. In the playoffs, he has kept
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  going and now holds a playoff record with 13 goal
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  contributions, which includes goals he scored and assists he
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  gave to his team mates. Inter Miami's attack has been
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  one of the most dangerous in the league and a lot of that comes
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  from Messi's vision, passing and shooting, along with the help of
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  his team mates making smart runs and finishing chances.
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  There is also a fun twist to this final, It is a rematch of
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  an earlier tournament. This year, Vancouver and Miami
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  already met in the semi finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup,
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  which is a competition between top clubs from across North and
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  Central America. In that series, Vancouver came
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  out on top, winning 5 to 1 on total goals across two games.
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  They won two to zero at home in Vancouver and then three to one
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  in Florida with goals from players like Brian White, Pedro
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  Vet and Sebastian Verhalter. That victory gave the Whitecaps
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  a lot of confidence that they can go into Miami Stadium and
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  still play their best soccer. Now in the MLS Cup final, Miami
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  has a chance to respond and show how much they've grown since
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  that earlier meeting. Vancouver has had a very busy
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  year in finals. This MLS Cup is their third
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  final of the season. They already played in the
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  CONCACAF Champions Cup final, which is a big international
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  title, and they won the Telus Canadian Championship, which is
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  the national cup competition in Canada.
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  Winning that trophy earlier in the year showed that Vancouver
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  can handle high pressure matches for their fans.
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  This MLS Cup final is another chance to see their club chase
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  the biggest prize in Major League Soccer.
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  Let's talk more about how these teams reach this moment.
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  Inter Miami, representing the Eastern Conference, finished the
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  regular season with one of the best records in the league.
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  Their attack was strong all year and their defense improved as
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  the season went on. In the playoffs, Miami stayed
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  sharp. They won their round one series,
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  then advanced through the Eastern Conference Semi Finals
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  and Eastern Conference Final. With smart game plans and big
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  plays from key players, playing at home in the final is a big
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  advantage. The players are used to the
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  field, the weather and the stadium, and thousands of fans
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  will be cheering loudly for them.
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  That kind of support can give a team extra energy, especially
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  late in the game when players start to get tired.
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  Vancouver from the Western Conference had to do some of
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  their best work on the road during the playoffs.
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  They earned A2 to 0 series win over FC Dallas and round one,
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  showing that their defense can keep opponents quiet.
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  Over 2 games in the Western Conference semifinals, they
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  played LAFC, a strong team with lots of attacking talent.
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  That match ended in a 2 to 2 draw and Vancouver had to stay
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  calm. During a penalty shootout, where
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  each player steps up one at a time to take a shot from the
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  penalty spot. Vancouver held their nerve,
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  scored their kicks and advanced in the Western Conference Final.
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  They beat San Diego FC 3 to 1 away from home, proving again
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  that they can score important goals even in a loud and
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  challenging stadium. Another recent news item that is
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  exciting for fans is how easy it is to watch this MLS Cup.
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  The league announced that the match is available to stream for
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  free on Apple TV's MLS Season Pass in many places, which means
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  more kids and families can TuneIn without needing a special
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  cable channel that helps the sport grow.
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  Because young some fans who might not usually watch soccer
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  can discover the game and learn about teams from cities they may
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  never have visited. Some networks in Canada and the
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  United States are also showing the game on television, so fans
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  can choose how they want to watch.
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  Let's look at a few player stories to follow in this final.
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  On the Inter Miami side, Lionel Messi is the most famous name,
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  but he is not the only important player.
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  Miami's attack also includes creative midfielders and quick
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  forwards who make runs into space and help stretch the other
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  team's defense. The back line and goalkeeper
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  have an important job keeping track of Vancouver strikers
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  blocking shots and staying organized on set pieces like
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  corner kicks and free kicks. Inter Miami's coach will try to
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  balance attacking soccer, which can lead to goals with smart
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  offending so they do not leave too much open space behind their
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  players. For Vancouver, 1 standout in the
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  playoffs has been forward to De O Allende, who has scored eight
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  goals in this postseason. That total ties a single season
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  playoff record that was previously set by former LA
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  Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz. Scoring that many goals in high
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  pressure matches is a big achievement.
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  It means Allende finds good positions in the penalty area,
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  times his runs well and finishes his chances with confidence.
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  Vancouver will look to him again in the final, especially on
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  quick counter tacks and crosses into the box.
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  Other Vancouver players, including their midfielders and
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  defenders, will try to limit Miami's time on the ball and
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  close down Messi's passing lanes.
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  This final is also an example of how soccer connects different
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  places and cultures. Inter Miami is based in South
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  Florida, an area with many people who love soccer and come
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  from countries all around the world.
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  Vancouver is a major city on the West Coast of Canada with fans
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  who support the Whitecaps in a stadium known for loud singing
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  and chanting. When these two clubs meet, fans
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  from both cities and from many other places are watching the
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  same game at the same time. That shared experience is one
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  reason sports are such a powerful part of many
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  communities. Now let's add a few fun facts
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  and bits of trivia to make you an MLS Cup expert.
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  Fun fact number one. In Major League Soccer, the
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  regular season is followed by the playoffs, which are a
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  knockout tournament. Teams earn their playoff spots
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  by collecting points in the regular season. 3 points for a
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  win, one for a draw and 0 for a loss.
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  The better your record, the higher your seed, which can help
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  you get home games in the playoffs.
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  Inter Miami's strong regular season helped them host this
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  final at Chase Stadium. Fun fact number 2.
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  When soccer matches in the playoffs are tied after 90
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  minutes, the game can go to extra time, which is 2 extra 15
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  minute halves. If the score is still tied after
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  extra time, the winner is decided by a penalty shootout.
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  Each team chooses 5 players to take turns shooting from the
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  penalty spot with only the goalkeeper defending.
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  If it is still tied after 5 kicks each, it goes to sudden
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  death where each pair of kicks can end the game.
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  Penalty shootouts are very tense and players need to stay calm
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  and focused. Fun fact #3 Vancouver's
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  appearance in this MLS Cup final makes this season especially
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  memorable for Canadian soccer fans.
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  The Whitecaps already won the Telus Canadian Championship
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  earlier this year, which is a tournament for professional
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  Canadian clubs. That one gave them a trophy and
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  also helped them qualify for international competition.
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  Now, with this MLS Cup final, they have another chance to
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  bring home a major title. Fun fact #4 Lionel Messi's
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  Golden Boot season for Inter Miami, with 29 goals and 19
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  assists, is one of the most impressive attacking
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  performances in MLS history. Scoring that many goals require
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  strong fitness, good teamwork, and the ability to read the game
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  quickly. Assisting that many goals shows
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  that he is also an unselfish player who enjoys helping
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  teammates score. As you watch the MLS Cup final
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  today, you can look for those exact moments, the big saves,
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  the clutch goals, and the teamwork that makes a champion.
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  Regardless of who wins today, hope you enjoy watching the
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  game. That's all for today's kid cast
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  Daily. Thanks for tuning in to get your
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  facts straight and your curiosity charge.
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  See you next time. Grab your breakfast.
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  Feeling fine? Adventures waiting?
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  Don't be late, Today's the day we celebrate.
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  Kid Cast Daily starts your day.