Thursday night at BC Place will be the biggest game of the Vancouver Whitecaps MLS era to date. But that is an understatement.
For the second time in their MLS era, the Whitecaps are in the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Some might argue that like in 2017, Vancouver is the underdogs out of the final four teams remaining. In 2017, the Whitecaps bowed out to Tigres UANL.
Unlike 2017, the Whitecaps have narrowed the gap with the rest of the final four teams. Vancouver is still on top of the MLS standings with a 6-2-1 record. They also pulled off upsets against Monterrey and Pumas UNAM in the past two rounds of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Standing in their way is another formidable foe, a team unlike any other they have faced before. That is Inter Miami and this time, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets hopped on the plane. There was no way they were going to miss a semi-final first leg.
Last season, Messi, Suarez and Busquets stayed home when Inter Miami visited Vancouver. Miami won that game 2-1 in front of 51,035, but that was an MLS regular season game. The stakes for a CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final are higher.
Messi is coming
It is expected to be a sellout crowd at BC Place on Thursday evening. According to Ticketmaster, only resale tickets are available.
The Whitecaps faced many stars at BC Place. That includes Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, David Villa and David Beckham.
But Messi is different. He is arguably the greatest (men’s) soccer player ever. He is up there with the likes of Pele, who visited Vancouver way back on June 30 1977 at Empire Stadium.
“Lionel Messi for the past 20 years has been maybe the best player all time in this in this sport,” said Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen to the media at UBC’s National Soccer Development Centre on Tuesday. “I’ve been a fan of football my entire life and enjoyed watching Messi at the biggest stages and of course it’s special.”
But this is the Whitecaps vs Inter Miami in a semi-final
There is a lot of hype for Messi coming to town. But the more important thing is that the Whitecaps have a chance to advance to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. That is something they have never done before.
In front of a big crowd, there is a huge opportunity to get ahead in the tie early and captivate the fans and the city. As Herb Brooks famously once said: “Great moments are born from great opportunity.”
“I think once you step across those white lines it’s all about the game,” said Whitecaps striker Brian White. “You’re not worried about who you’re playing against. You’re just trying to execute the game plan the best you can and get the result you need.”
“I will also say it’s not going to be Vancouver Whitecaps against Lionel Messi,” said Sørensen. “It’s going to be Miami against Vancouver and we’ll take the challenge.”
How do the Whitecaps stop Messi and Inter Miami?
For years, Messi has captivated fans around the world with his dribbling, agility, intellect and deadly left foot. He has an extraordinary ability to read the game and make something out of nothing. After all, few players can easily dribble through several defenders and score.
One minute Messi is walking, the next he’s tearing up an entire backline and scoring or assisting.
So, how does one stop him and the rest of Inter Miami?
“It’s a battle in itself, right?,” said Sørensen. “We know that they have players that are very good with the ball, but if we can prevent them from having it that much, then of course it will be an advantage for us. But football is always about balance. You also want to attack when the pitch is open and you have the opportunity. You can’t just be holding on to the ball. You have to go for it.”
Since he arrived in January, Sørensen has turned Vancouver into a possession-based side. They are third in MLS in terms of possession at 55.4% according to FotMob.The Whitecaps are also second in goals per match, (1.9) second in expected goals (17.6) third in big chances created (29) and first in touches in the opposition box. (306)
What is also impressive is their defensive play as they are tied with St.Louis City SC for first in least goals conceded per match with 0.7.
Inter Miami, by their standards, could be better offensively as they are 10th in goals per match with 1.6. But this year, they have been a solid defensive team and are second in MLS with 0.8 goals conceded per match. In their last game, they beat the Columbus Crew 1-0 (in Cleveland) despite being outshot 16 to 7. But Benjamin Cremaschi’s 30th-minute goal proved to be the difference.
The Crew failed to capitalize on their chances and the Whitecaps cannot make the same mistake. White is second in goals in MLS with six. He is tied with several players (including Suarez) for third in Champions Cup scoring with three goals. Messi is second with five.
“They haven’t conceded a whole lot of goals, maybe that’s down to the execution of their team,” said White on Inter Miami. “They have good defenders. They have a lot of numbers behind the ball, so it’s going to be a challenge. But I think we have the players to play well together and know each other’s movements. Hopefully, we can execute in the final third and score some goals.”
“We have attacked a lot, but without exposing ourselves too much defensively,” said Sørensen. “It’s about the balance.”
Ranko Veselinovic and Tristan Blackmon have been a formidable defensive duo for the Whitecaps. 19-year-old Tate Johnson and 21-year-old Edier Ocampo have stepped up as the full-backs in the absence of Sam Adekugbe and Mathias Laborda.
They also have Andres Cubas, one of the best defensive midfielders in MLS. Cubas has faced Messi twice while playing for Paraguay. Both times, Messi did not score. Cubas faced Messi in the 2021 Copa America and World Cup qualifying in June of 2024. The latter was a 2-1 win for Paraguay.
The Whitecaps have to turn up their strengths to overdrive.
Looking for more magic
The Whitecaps have a lot of belief they can pull off an upset. After all, the wins over Monterrey and Pumas were magical. Against Inter Miami, they will look to pull the rabbit out of the hat yet again.
“We should also feel it’s special but at the same time, we believe in ourselves and why we’re here and trust what we are good at has brought us here,” said Sørensen.
No team is invincible (except for the 2004 Arsenal side and the 1972 Miami Dolphins) and Inter Miami can be beaten, but it will be tough. The Whitecaps have faced many challenging teams before and the group has grown together and learned from those experiences.
“Coming to the team a few years ago, we weren’t a really good team in general,” said White on the group being together for several years. “We weren’t winning many games. We were kind of at the bottom of the table. Then every year we’ve gotten better and better, more eyes, more attention. So it’s a bit of pride to see how far the club has come in a short time. And hopefully, we can continue to get better.”
The Whitecaps and Inter Miami kickoff at 7:30 pm Pacific. Will it be another magical CONCACAF night under the floodlights for Vancouver? Tune in tomorrow to find out.
