Will Champions Cup collapse still shadow Inter Miami against Vancouver? | OneFootball

Inter Miami were dumped out of the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup by Vancouver, a bruising chapter in a fledgling rivalry. The Whitecaps’ dominance has reframed a match-up first forged only in the past 18 months.

In April’s semi-final first leg in Canada, Vancouver won 2-0 through Brian White on 24 minutes and Sebastian Berhalter on 85, both in transition despite Miami enjoying more than 70 percent possession. “Not too much to say, they were better than us and deserved to win,” coach Javier Mascherano said, according to the Miami Herald.

Champions Cup ties are settled on aggregate, with away goals the first tiebreaker, so a 2-0 deficit left Miami needing 3-0 at home to progress. They arrived amid an unusual drought, scoring one or fewer in five of their previous six outings.

The teams had met twice before. Miami won 2-1 in May 2024 without Lionel Messi, a record 53,837 at BC Place voicing anger over his absence and sparking debate about guarantees for away appearances.

Miami set a 2024 MLS points record with 74 to take the Supporters’ Shield, then opened 2025 unbeaten through nine league matches at 5-0-3 and suffered just one defeat in all competitions, 1-0 to LAFC in the quarter-final first leg. Vancouver, eighth in the Eastern Conference at 13-13-8 last year and beaten by LAFC in the playoffs, were revitalised under new coach Jesper Sørensen, starting 6-1-3 with Champions Cup scalps of Monterrey and Pumas as both clubs entered the semi-finals as MLS’s leading sides.

Source: interheron.com