Inter Miami faces Champions Cup elimination against LAFC on Wednesday
The Herons trail LAFC 1-0 heading into the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal; their tie Sunday against winless Toronto wasn’t the confidence builder they expected.
Lionel Messi reacts after missing a shot Sunday against Toronto FC. Photo: Getty Images from Goal.com
LAFC holds quarterfinal advantage
The mission is clear: Inter Miami must beat LAFC by at least two goals Wednesday to avoid elimination from the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament.
• WHO: Inter Miami CF vs. LAFC
• WHAT: Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal
• AGGREGATE SCORE: LAFC leads 1-0 on aggregate; away goals are the first tiebreaker
• AT STAKE: A berth in the Cup semifinals playing the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between Vancouver FC and Pumas UNAM of Mexico’s Liga MX. The teams tied 1-1 in Canada but Pumas has the away-goal advantage and plays in Mexico City.
• WHEN: 8 p.m. ET, Wednesday, April 9
• WHERE: Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale
• TV: FS1, TUDN, ViX
• RADIO: Inter Miami: ESPN 106.3 FM (English), Deportes Radio 760 AM (Spanish)
• RADIO: LAFC: ESPN 710 AM (English), KFWB 980 ‘La Mera’ (Spanish)
The California team edged the Herons 1-0 in the first leg of the home-and-away quarterfinal tie last week in Los Angeles. The team with the most total goals after both games will advance to the semifinals later this month, while the loser goes home knowing they may never qualify again for North America’s most prestigious club competition.
A one-goal advantage doesn’t seem daunting to a team that set Major League Soccer’s single-season points record (74) and scored 78 goals last season, especially considering that team features four of the best players of this generation.
But Inter Miami couldn’t unlock LAFC’s bunker defense last week despite the best efforts of Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez. And Concacaf’s away-goal tiebreaker will work in the Black and Gold’s favor.
There is ONE scenario in which Inter Miami could advance without scoring twice, but it’s not a sure thing. If the Herons win 1-0, the aggregate would be tied without either team having scored an away goal; in that case the teams would play two 15-minute extra-time periods and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.
Tie fails to boost Herons’ spirits
The loss to LAFC was the Herons’ and new manager Javier Mascherano’s first in 2025. Inter Miami had been 11-0-3 in all competitions: 4-0 Champions Cup, 4-0-1 MLS, and 3-0-2 in preseason friendlies — and the Herons won penalty shootouts after each preseason tie. So losing in Los Angeles was a new experience for this group.
Mascherano chose not to rotate players for Inter Miami’s home match against 14th-place, winless Toronto FC, expecting a strong showing to give the Men in Pink momentum for Wednesday’s must-win match. It didn’t work out that way.
“Unfortunately, we did not get the result we wanted, which was to win to get to the Wednesday game in the best form possible,” Mascherano said after the match, as reported by Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald. “We started the game well, then we conceded some chances, maybe we lost some confidence and disconnected for a 10 or 15 minute gap in the first half. It was a difficult game, which we knew it would be because Toronto may not be in a good position in the table, but they have good quality in front and they played really, really well.”
“Futbol is not a button you can push.”
— Javier Mascherano
The former Barcelona teammates played most of Sunday’s 1-1 tie at home against winless Toronto FC, with Messi’s first-half stoppage-time goal to show for the effort.
Mascherano hopes the Toronto result will be a lesson for his talented squad.
“Futbol is not a button you can push to connect, push to disconnect and then push to connect again,” Mascherano said. “It doesn’t work that way. If we don’t understand that, we will suffer the way we suffered [Sunday night]. If we are not connected from start to finish on Wednesday, it will be very difficult.”
LAFC forward Nathan Ordaz tries to dribbles away from Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi during a Concacaf Champions Cup match April 2 army BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Photo: Frederic J. Brown / AFP
Mascherano plays Barca Four
Against the Reds, Mascherano started Drake Callender in goal, Alba and Ian Fray as the wingbacks, and Gonzalo Lujan and Tomas Aviles as center backs. Busquets and Federico Redondo played as the “pivot” in the Herons’ preferred 4-2-3-1, with Telasco Segovia and Robert Taylor at left and right wing, respectively, and Messi between them. Luis Suarez was the striker.
Messi, Busquets and Alba played the full match Sunday; newcomer Allen Obando relieved Suarez in the 69th minute. Mascherano is gambling that his stars will be recovered enough to give their best against LAFC.
“As far as roster rotation, we spoke to the [Barcelona alumni] players and these are elite players who have played every three days their entire lives, they are used to it and we felt we had to make changes in other positions,” Mascherano said. “I understand sometimes people can be surprised, but I had said in my pre-game press conference that we would not overlook this game.”
Busquets is suspended for Wednesday’s match because of yellow-card accumulation, and Callender and Taylor likely will return to the Herons’ bench for the most important match the Herons have played this season.
Herons’ projected starters
Here’s a best-guess who Mascherano might start tomorrow night:
GOALKEEPER: Oscar Ustari. The Argentine veteran has earned the Herons’ trust with his composure, dribbling and passing abilities, and game instincts. Callender is a co-captain and Inter Miami’s starter the past three seasons, but he missed most of the season’s first three months recovering from an adductor muscle strain.
WINGBACKS: Alba and Fray.
CENTER BACKS: Noah Allen and Maxi Falcon. This pair started the last match against LAFC and seem to be the best of a strong group. Allen has a slight advantage over Aviles because of his rapport with Alba. Mascherano could decide to go with Aviles because of his height, an asset in front of net; Toto (6-foot-1) is four inches taller than Allen.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Redondo and Yannick Bright. This is a potential weak point in the Herons’ lineup. At Barcelona, Busquets revolutionized the position, using his intelligence, situational awareness and passing ability to initiate attacks from the back and modulate pace. He has been called the team’s quarterback.
When the Herons signed Redondo, it was because they expect him to develop into the Busquets role but, although the 22-year-old Argentine has shown flashes, he is a capable backup at best.
Bright, on the other hand, is a defensive star in the making. He is fundamentally sound with a great work rate, reads the game well, rarely finds himself out of position, and isn’t afraid to be a physical presence when necessary.
FORWARDS: Segovia, Messi and Fafà Picault. If Tadeo Allende is available, he will start instead of Picault. Picault is a speedy MLS veteran, but Allende — yet another Argentinian — has shown he knows how to move without the ball to create space for Messi. He also dribbles the ball well and has a powerful and accurate shot. Allende has been recovering from a calf injury suffered in March against Atlanta United.
STRIKER: Suarez. At 38, the Uruguayan legend isn’t as dynamic as he once was, but his intelligence and experience continue to serve him well. His is the one position at which Inter Miami did not improve its depth, but the Herons hope the recent addition of Allen Obando will provide Suarez an occasional day off.
Scouting LAFC
Nathan Ordaz, 21, scored the only goal in the 57th minute of the quarterfinal’s first leg and the LAFC defense, led by midfielder Igor Jesus, packed the penalty box to stifle the Herons’ offense.
“We tried to frustrate them by clogging spaces in the middle.”
— Ryan Hollingshead, LAFC defender
“Obviously, they have a lethal attack with Messi, Suarez, and Busquets in there dictating play,” LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead said, according to LAFC.com. “They’re as good as it gets in this league. We tried to frustrate them by clogging spaces in the middle. We limited their chances. We have to do that again next week in Miami.”
LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo rested eight starters in a 1-0 loss Saturday at Houston Dynamo. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, forward Denis Bouanga and center back Eddie Segura played complete matches against Inter Miami midweek and the Dynamo this weekend; everyone else for the Black & Gold should be well-rested.
LAFC (3-4-0, 9 points) is in 9th place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference; it is 3-2 in Champions Cup play. Inter Miami (4-0-2, 14 points) is in second place in the East and 4-1 in Cup action.
Below is a possible starting lineup for LAFC:
GOALKEEPER: Hugo Lloris
WINGBACKS: Sergi Palencia and Hollingshead
CENTER BACKS: Segura and Aaron Long
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Mark Delgado, Jesus, Timothy Tillman
FORWARDS: Ordaz, Cengiz Ünder, Bouanga
About Concacaf Champions Cup
Now in its 60th year, Concacaf Champions Cup is this region's premier men’s club competition. The 2025 edition began in early February with a field consisting of the 27 top clubs in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Clubs contest two-game, total-goal series consisting of a home and an away leg until the last two remaining reach the tournament Final.
The CCC Final is scheduled for June 1 and will be decided in a single match. LAFC reached the Concacaf Champions Cup Final in both of its previous CCC appearances (2020, 2023). Inter Miami was eliminated in last year’s quarterfinals by Liga MX stalwart Monterey; 2024 was the first year the Herons qualified for the competition.