Inter Miami will need another comeback to advance to the Concacaf Champions Cup final after losing the first leg 2-0 to the Vancouver Whitecaps. For Miami’s star-studded cast, this is a tournament that they expect to win and getting knocked out at this stage would go down as a disappointment, but Jesper Sorensen has had his Whitecaps well-prepared for the task at hand.
The Herons have been here before, after losing the first leg of the quarter-finals to Los Angeles FC before storming back to advance on a 3-2 aggregate victory, but this Vancouver team doesn’t seem like they’ll collapse in the same way that LAFC did. Miami will need to find a way to win the midfield battle and get Luis Suarez going because this is a competition that could be too much for Lionel Messi alone to win.
How to watch Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, odds
- Date: Wednesday, April 30 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Chase Stadium — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- TV: FS1 | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: Inter Miami -205; Draw +280; Vancouver Whitecaps +420
First leg recap
Once Brian White’s header went past Miami keeper Oscar Ustari in the 24th minute of play, the Vancouver Whitecaps kept their feet down to continue pushing Miami with every possession that they had in front of a record crowd at BC Place. Miami may have held the lion’s share of possession, but Vancouver was dictating what they could do with it. Late in the match, Vancouver was able to secure an insurance goal via Sebastian Berhalter that puts the match in a precarious balance since the Herons couldn’t find an elusive away goal.
What’s at stake
This is arguably the biggest game in the history of both teams. Neither has ever been in a Champions Cup final, so no matter what, history will be made in Fort Lauderdale. For Miami, while they did win the Leagues Cup in Messi’s debut season, they still need more silverware to show that this has been a success. Ahead of the first leg, head coach Javier Mascherano emphasized the importance of the tie, and now being behind, it’s just as critical.
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The Herons were expected to win everything in their path with Messi and friends but regular season success hasn’t been matched by success in cup competitions or the playoffs. They fell at this stage last season to the Columbus Crew, and doing so yet again after moving on from important depth players like Robert Taylor, Leonardo Campana, and Julian Gressel will raise questions about whether the roster construction is appropriate to compete on all fronts.
Will Luis Suarez start scoring?
Last season, Inter Miami was the Messi and Luis Suarez show, and so far that hasn’t been the case. Suarez has now gone six consecutive games without being involved in a goal for the Herons and eight games without scoring one. At the beginning of the season, when Tadeo Allende was running hot and Suarez could play creator, that was fine, but now that more tape is coming out on Miami’s new players, they need more from the 38-year-old. After moving on from Campana, there isn’t a proven backup to rotate in at the nine, leaving Miami quite vulnerable.
Predicted lineups
Inter Miami: Oscar Ustari, Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Maximiliano Falcon, Marcelo Weigandt, Tadeo Allende, Yannick Bright, Sergio Busquets, Benjamin Cremaschi, Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi
Vancouver Whitecaps: Yohei Takaoka, Edier Ocampo, Tristan Blackmon, Ranko Veselinovic, Tate Johnson, Sebastian Berhalter, Andres Cubas, Pedro Vite, Daniel Rios, Brian White, Ali Ahmed
Player to watch
Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps: Berhalter was everywhere in the first leg of play and got his efforts rewarded with a goal. His awareness was on full display as he had no issues diving in to nick the ball off of Messi’s feet in the box and made sure to leave it all on the pitch. This has been a breakout season for Berhalter with him registering three goals and an assist in all competitions this season. As he gains more experience, he has been able to pick better spots to crash the box and it’s something that keeps the Whitecaps ticking over. Along with Vite and Cubas deep, the Whitecaps have been able to develop a formidable midfield, and Berhalter is at the center of it all.
Storyline to watch
Will history repeat itself?: Vancouver can’t feel like the job is done by any means. Even an away goal wasn’t enough to keep LAFC from falling to the Herons. Vancouver will aim to get an early goal, but they’ll have to prepare for an onslaught of pressure from Miami from start to finish. Takaoka will need to be on his toes in net because a storm is coming in Fort Lauderdale. It’s still a tough deficit for Miami to overcome, but if anyone can do it, it’s the Herons.
Prediction
Brian White will find the back of the net again for the Whitecaps, forcing Miami to need to score four goals if they want to advance.
The Vancouver Whitecaps faced off against Inter Miami in a thrilling match that ended in disappointment for the Whitecaps. Despite the Herons coming close to victory, the task proved too tall for them to overcome in the end. Inter Miami emerged victorious with a scoreline of 2-1, adding another disappointing cup performance to the Whitecaps’ resume.
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