RECAP: No Messi miracle in Miami; ‘Caps end Herons’ Champions Cup bid
The Vancouver Whitecaps scored three second-half goals Wednesday, squashing Heron hopes with a 3-1 (5-1 aggregate) semifinal win at Chase Stadium.
Lionel Messi watches the Whitecaps celebrate after one of Vancouver’s three second-half goals Wednesday. PHOTO: Matias J. Ocner/MiamiHerald
Herons turn focus to MLS race
News flash: Inter Miami’s season did NOT end Wednesday.
It’s no secret the club made the Concacaf Champions Cup this season’s top priority; it was the most prestigious trophy the Herons could reasonably expect to win.
But, despite the funereal mood at Chase Stadium after Vancouver ended the club’s Cup run, Inter Miami can still compete for hardware. Miami and Seattle will represent the United States at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, and the Herons are among the Major League Soccer sides participating in the Liga MX/MLS Leagues Cup (which Inter Miami won in 2023).
La Rosa Negra, currently is fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference but, with 25 matches left to play, still could vie for an MLS Cup and even a second Supporters Shield, presented to the team with the best regular season record. Inter Miami won the 2024 Shield with an MLS-record 74 points.
There’s a lot of season left, and other prizes to be had, if only the Herons can learn from their recent struggles.
‘Much better than us’
The Whitecaps beat Inter Miami 3-1 Wednesday in the second-leg of the Champions Cup semifinals at Chase Stadium, the Herons’ Fort Lauderdale home, and won the two-leg semifinal 5-1, leaving no doubt which was the superior side.
“The opponent was much better than us,” first-year Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano told reporters after the match, according to Miami Herald soccer writer Michelle Kaufman. “That is why they are in the final and we aren’t. I still feel we competed, but to be honest, it’s hard to say this after losing 5-1.”
Because of Concacaf’s away-goal tiebreaker, Miami needed to win by at least three goals to guarantee a spot in the final.
Hope, followed by despair
Jordi Alba electrified the home crowd in the ninth minute, scoring on a pass from Luis Suarez to pull within a goal, 1-2 overall. The Herons finished the half with the lead and hope that Inter Miami might complete the unlikely comeback.
Instead, Brian White (51st minute) and Pedro Vite (53rd) scored early in the second half, building a 4-1 aggregate lead. Sebastian Berhalter added a final goal in the 71st minute.
‘They can’t run’
Since Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba arrived in 2023 (and Luis Suarez in 2024) former coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino and Mascherano, his successor, have built a team to complement those stars’ talents. But, as of this writing, five starters — all friends and former teammates of Messi — are closer to Mascherano’s age (40) than their teammates. Goalkeeper Oscar Ustari and Suarez are 38, Messi 37, and Alba and Busquets 36.
Nearing the end of their careers, their skills remain sharp, but their speed and stamina are beginning to fail; Messi and Suarez barely pretend to defend for long stretches and Alba and Busquets cover a little less ground than they once did.
Fox Sports announcer and former Premier League player Warren Barton suggested what many supporters have begun to suspect: the team’s investment in the “Fantastic Four” is seeing diminishing returns.
According to Goal.com, Barton said Vancouver exposed Miami’s weaknesses.
“Because they can't run, they can't defend, and there's not a balance in the team,” Barton said. “Because five stay up front and the other five try and defend. And they can't defend.”
Whitecaps coach Jasper Sorensen agreed: “I think it is fair to say that we have a younger team and also a team more capable of running and playing with high intensity.”
Vancouver will play Cruz Azul in the winner-take-all final June 1. La Maquina beat Tigres UANL 1-0 Thursday in Mexico City, claiming a 2-1 aggregate win.
Next for Miami
Inter Miami (5-1-3, 18 points in MLS play) will resume its league campaign against the New York Red Bulls (4-3-3, 15 points) beginning at 7:30 ET Saturday at Chase Stadium.
“We need to learn from the last week because obviously, the feeling we have is very, very bad. We have conceded more goals than we had in the past. But we cannot just cry, we need to push another step and improve. I think this team can do much better,” Mascherano said, according to Kaufman’s report.
“We have to move on, and right now our focus is on MLS; I’m not even thinking about Club World Cup yet. That is a month and a half away. All that matters now is the league.”
The Club World Cup will be played in the United States between June 14 and July 13; the Leagues Cup tournament begins July 29 and culminates Aug. 31. The MLS Cup playoffs begin after the season ends Oct. 18 and conclude with the championship match in December.
All of that discussion out in the open makes Miami more of a target than they have already been. Will coaches be tempted to invert their strategy around substitutions? Meaning, start a rabbit or two (who would typically be late subs) to really push the pace up and down the field through the first half, then bring in a couple of fresh players (who would maybe typically start) to go after a tired Inter squad.