Lionel Messi’s quest to lead Inter Miami to their first CONCACAF Champions Cup crown came crashing down Wednesday, as the Vancouver Whitecaps stormed into the final with a commanding 3-1 win in South Florida, sealing a 5-1 aggregate triumph.
The Canadian side now awaits the winner of Thursday’s all-Mexican semifinal between Cruz Azul and Tigres UANL, which is level at 1-1 heading into the second leg.
No matter the Liga MX opponent, Vancouver will head into the final brimming with confidence after dismantling the most star-studded and expensive team in MLS history.
While Miami labored with sluggish buildup play, the Whitecaps lit up the second half with sharp, fearless attacks and steely resolve, netting three times to book their first-ever spot in the regional showpiece.
“I’m just so happy for everybody in the club,” said Whitecaps Danish coach Jesper Sorensen. “I am relatively new here, but I know a lot of people have worked for many years and not seen a moment like this.”
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Miami made the perfect start to their comeback attempt when former Spain international Jordi Alba put them ahead in the ninth minute.
Messi, from midfield, threaded the ball through to Luis Suarez, who found Alba on the left. His low drive slipped through Japanese goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka at his near post.
Rather than retreat into a defensive stance, Vancouver went on the attack, knowing an away goal could prove decisive.
After good work from American striker Brian White, Emmanuel Sabbi struck the outside of the post with a low drive.
White and Pedro Vite both tested Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari as Vancouver opened up the home defense with remarkable ease.
The Whitecaps were simply too quick and too smart for Miami’s sluggish back line and labored midfield.
‘They outplayed us’
A half-chance for Messi, which he fired high and wide, was the most the Argentine produced in the opening 45 minutes, while his compatriot Tadeo Allende was unable to make the most of his opportunities.
Vancouver retained their positive approach after the break and were rewarded just six minutes after the restart when, after a well-worked attack, Sebastian Berhalter pulled the ball back from the byline to White, who placed it into the bottom corner.
Two minutes later, the Whitecaps delivered the killer blow. After a break down the left, the impressive Berhalter set up the arriving Vite, whose shot took a slight deflection off Alba and flew into the top corner to make it 2-1 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate.
It got even worse for Miami when Berhalter, the son of former U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter, pounced on a loose ball after a blocked White shot and his deflected effort flew past Ustari into the net.
Messi had a couple of late efforts, but by then it was all over – his aging team exposed by a side that now looks to become the first Canadian team to win the competition.
The only negative on a memorable night for the Whitecaps was a yellow card for Berhalter, which, added to his previous cautions in the tournament, means he will miss the final.
For Miami, the focus now turns to their bid for a first MLS Cup and their FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
“Although it was the first time the club had advanced to the semifinals, the defeat hurts us a lot because we imagined reaching the final – seeing this team, which has a short history, in the final of the most important competition in CONCACAF,” said coach Javier Mascherano.
“But we have to accept that our opponents outplayed us. Now we have to focus on MLS. I’m not thinking about the Club World Cup. There’s a month and a half to go, and it would be a mistake to focus on that,” added the Argentine.
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