Whitecaps top Messi, Inter Miami in first leg of Concacaf Champions Cup semis
On a night when Lionel Messi was the headliner, it was Brian White and Sebastian Berhalter who stole the show.
VANCOUVER — On a night when Lionel Messi was the headliner, it was Brian White and Sebastian Berhalter who stole the show.
White scored in the 24th minute and Berhalter in the 84th to give the Vancouver Whitecaps a 2-0 victory over Messi’s Inter Miami CF Thursday night in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal.
Many in the record crowd of 53,837 at BC Place Stadium came to watch Messi. They weren’t disappointed when the Argentine superstar started the game and played the entire match. Joining him in the star-studded kickoff was Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, forward Luis Suarez of Uruguay and defender Jordi Alba from Spain.
Despite Miami’s star power, it was White who produced one of the loudest roars from the crowd when he headed a pass from Pedro Vite past Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari. It was the striker’s 10th goal across all competitions this season and fourth of the tournament.
Berhalter salted the game away after forward Jayden Nelson slipped a pass across the front of the Miami net. Berhalter banged a shot into the upper corner of the goal.
The crowd was the largest of the Whitecaps’ Major Soccer League era and third largest in team history.
The second game of the series will be Wednesday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The winner will advance to the Concacaf Champions Cup final against either Cruz Azul or Tigres UNAL on June 1.
Messi disappointed many fans when he didn’t travel to Vancouver last year for Miami’s regular-season MLS game against the Whitecaps. That could explain the mixture of cheers and boos when ever he touched the ball.
The reigning MLS MVP produced some oohs in the 11th minute when he took the ball, made a couple smooth moves around defenders, then sent a long pass to the corner of the net that was deflected away by a Whitecaps header.
Messi threatened in the 18th minute. He weaved through the defence then took a sharp angle shot from the corner of the net that was stopped, then cleared by defender Ranko Veselinovic. He had another shot in the 36th minute, blasting a ball from outside the box through a crowd that Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped.
Later in the first half, Messi and Vancouver midfielder Andres Cubas looked to exchange words.
Messi had a free kick from distance in the 71st minute that Takaoka handled.
The Whitecaps controlled most of the first half, but Miami found their legs in the second. Despite creating plenty of pressure, the Whitecaps defenders weathered the storm and were rewarded with Berhalter’s goal.
The Whitecaps had the game’s first good scoring chance in the eighth minute. White fed forward Daniel Rios with a pass at the top of the box. He hammered a shot that was stopped by defender Marcelo Weigandt.
The Whitecaps reached the tournament semifinals back in 2017.
Vancouver advanced to the semifinal by defeating Pumas UNAM 3-3 on aggregate score on away goals. Miami defeated LAFC 3-2 on aggregate goals.
The Concacaf Champions Cup features the best teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean to crown a regional champion and to qualify for the next FIFA Club World Cup.
Notes: White was given a yellow card in first-half extra time for a foul on Messi. … Vancouver Canucks centre Elias Pettersson attended the game. …The largest Whitecaps crowd was 60,342 in Vancouver’s first NASL game at BC Place in 1983 against Seattle. …It’s a short turnaround for the Whitecaps who return to MLS play Sunday on the road against Minnesota United FC. … Vancouver played without captain Ryan Gauld (knee). … In the only other meeting between the two teams, Miami defeated Vancouver 2-1 before a crowd of 51,035 last May.
