- The semifinal series now shifts to Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the second leg next Wednesday, April 30 at 5 p.m. PT
- With his 65th goal for Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Brian White has now tied Carl Valentine for fourth on the club's all-time scoring list
- Sebastian Berhalter scored his second goal of the season, both coming in the past two Concacaf Champions Cup matches
- Pedro Vite recorded his fifth assist of the season in all competitions (MLS 3, CCC 2)
- Jayden Nelson recorded his team-high sixth assist of the season (MLS 4, CCC 2)
- Yohei Takaoka kept his seventh clean sheet of the season (MLS 5, CCC 2)
VANCOUVER, BC – It was a momentous night at BC Place in front of an MLS-era record crowd of 53,837 fans, as Vancouver Whitecaps FC defeated Inter Miami CF 2-0 in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals.
hitecaps FC started strong, breaking through Miami’s defence inside the opening few minutes. Pedro Vite sent a line-splitting pass in behind for Édier Ocampo to latch on to, and the Colombian drilled a cross into the box but it went just a fraction in front of Brian White before the striker could score. The American nearly set-up a goal just five minutes later, going on a tremendous run in behind before laying it off for Daniel Ríos inside the box, but the Mexican forward’s effort was cleared off the line.
Inter Miami came close to the opener just shy of the 20-minute mark. A give-and-go at the edge of the box saw Lionel Messi in behind the defence, who tried to cut it back for a tap-in but it was cleared by Ranko Veselinović and Tristan Blackmon before it could find a black shirt.
The ‘Caps would not back down, and rightfully earned the lead in the 24th minute. A good passing play between Sebastian Berhalter and Vite allowed the latter to chip a beautiful cross into the box for White to thunder home a header.
Both Miami and Whitecaps FC would take some pops from distance in the next 10 minutes, with both Messi and Vite firing it into the respective ‘keepers hands. Ríos came close to getting the ‘Caps’ second off a corner kick, meeting a deep cross into the back post but his header was right at Miami ‘keeper Oscar Ustari. The rest of the half played out with Whitecaps FC holding strong and going into the break with a one-goal lead.
The second half saw both teams coming out of the gates hot, creating an end-to-end game right off the bat. Berhalter found some space on the edge of the box after a fast break from White, but his curled effort went into the hands of Ustari.
Messi then had a chance from a free kick just outside the box in the 70th minute, but his effort hit the wall before falling into Takaoka’s safe hands. Emmanuel Sabbi was then on the break moments later, cutting inside off the left before unleashing a vicious shot that was deflected wide. Another counter-attack saw Vite attack down the right, cutting back a wonderful pass for Berhalter to smash first time, but his effort went high off the mark.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, Whitecaps FC got their second of the match. In another lightning-quick attack, Sabbi found J.C. Ngando in the middle near Miami’s box. Ngando then sent a pass in behind for Jayden Nelson to latch onto and cut back for Berhalter to smash home.
Whitecaps FC now take a 2-0 advantage into the decisive second leg next Wednesday, April 30 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with kickoff at 5 p.m. PT. This will be the ‘Caps first ever visit to Inter Miami CF. Fans can watch the second leg live on OneSoccer, FuboTV, and TELUS channel 980.
The winner of this semifinal will advance to the Concacaf Champions Cup final to face either Cruz Azul or Tigres UNAL on Sunday, June 1. The Concacaf champion will move on to the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and qualify for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
Prior to the second leg, Whitecaps FC are back in MLS action this coming Sunday, April 27 on the road at Minnesota United FC. Kickoff will be at 12 p.m. PT, live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and listen on CKNW.com.
The 'Caps are next at BC Place on Saturday, May 3 when they host Real Salt Lake in MLS action. Kickoff for that match will be at 4:30 p.m. PT. For tickets, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
MATCH DETAILS
Attendance: 53,837
Referee: Mario Escobar
Scoring Summary
24’ – VAN – Brian White (Pedro Vite)
85’ – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter (Jayden Nelson)
Statistics
Possession: VAN 31% - MIA 69%
Shots: VAN 9 - MIA 10
Shots on Goal: VAN 5 - MIA 2
Saves: VAN 2 - MIA 3
Fouls: VAN 11 - MIA 7
Offsides: VAN 0 - MIA 1
Corners: VAN 3 - MIA 9
Cautions
45’+2 – VAN – Brian White
48’ – MIA – Federico Redondo
48’ – VAN – Tristan Blackmon
73’ – MIA – Yannick Bright
90’+2 – MIA – Javier Mascherano
90’+4 – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Yohei Takaoka; 18.Édier Ocampo, 33.Tristan Blackmon, 4.Ranko Veselinović ©, 28.Tate Johnson; 16.Sebastian Berhalter, 20.Andrés Cubas (26.J.C. Ngando 81’), 45.Pedro Vite (7.Jayden Nelson 81’); 14.Daniel Ríos (11.Emmanuel Sabbi 45’), 24.Brian White, 22.Ali Ahmed (13.Ralph Priso 62’)
Substitutes not used
30.Adrían Zendejas, 32.Isaac Boehmer, 3.Sam Adekugbe, 12.Belal Halbouni, 15.Bjørn Inge Utvik, 19.Damir Kreilach, 27.Giuseppe Bovalina, 59.Jeevan Badwal
Inter Miami CF
19.Oscar Ustari; 57.Marcelo Weigandt, 37.Maximiliano Falcón, 32.Noah Allen, 18.Jordi Alba; 5.Sergio Busquets, 55.Federico Redondo (42.Yannick Bright 70’); 10.Lionel Messi, 8.Telasco Segovia (30.Benjamin Cremaschi 74’), 21.Tadeo Allende; 9.Luis Suárez
Substitutes not used
1.Drake Callender, 2.Gonzalo Luján, 6.Tomás Avilés, 7.Fafa Picault, 14.David Martínez, 17.Ian Fray, 22.Leonardo Afonso, 29.Allen Obando, 81.Santiago Morales
