Will Champions Cup debacle haunt Inter Miami's MLS Cup rematch with Vancouver? | OneFootball

Herons hope to avenge humbling loss to Whitecaps

Inter Miami CF and the Vancouver Whitecaps don’t share much history -- all three of their matches have been played in the past 18 months – but it is significant. Los Garzas won the first meeting between the Herons and ‘Caps 2-1 in May 2024, a match most notable for Lionel Messi's absence.

A record crowd (53,837) at BC Place was furious, leading some onlookers to question whether Miami should ensure the international superstar appears in away games (No, he shouldn’t.)

The other two meetings occurred over a seven-day span in April in what should have been a classic CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal showdown.

The Herons, whose 74 points in 2024 set a Major League Soccer season record and earned them the Supporters' Shield, started the ’25 season undefeated through nine league matches (5-0-3, 18 points) and just one loss in all competitions (1-0 to Los Angeles FC in the first leg of the home-and-away Champions Cup quarterfinal).

Vancouver struggled through a mediocre 2024 campaign (13-13-8, 47 points), finishing eighth in the Eastern Conference and losing to LAFC in the first round of the playoffs.

But new coach Jesper Sørensen reinvigorated the ‘Caps, who started the 2025 MLS season 6-1-3 (21 points) and impressive Champions Cup wins against Mexican sides Monterrey and Pumas.

The tie pitted the best in the West against the Beast of the East; the 'Caps and Los Garzas entered the semifinals of the continent's most prestigious club competition as the two best teams in MLS.

It should have been an epic duel, two matches to decide which team would advance to the Cup final with a chance to become just the fourth MLS team to win the 63-year-old annual competition. Except it wasn't.

The younger, more athletic, better conditioned team from Canada asserted its superiority in the first match, playing a scintillating direct attack that managed to look more appealing and more dangerous despite allowing Messi & Co. more than 70 percent possession. Striker Brian White (24th minute) and Sebastian Berhalter (85th minute) provided the goals, both in transition.

“Not too much to say, they were better than us and deserved to win,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano told reporters after the match, according to Miami Herald soccer reporter Michelle Kaufman.

Like many international tournaments, Champions Cup matches are decided by the aggregate score of a home-and-away tie; unlike some competitions, CONCACAF uses away goals as the first tiebreaker.

Losing 2-nil to Vancouver in Canada meant the Herons needed to win 3-0 at home to reach the Cup final. Unfortunately, the Men in Pink were experiencing an uncharacteristic goal-scoring slump.

Despite having Messi and Luis Suarez leading their attack, Los Garzas had scored one or fewer goals in five of their last six matches headed into the win-or-go-home final leg against Vancouver. It didn't get any better.