Inter Miami 0-2 Vancouver Whitecaps: 3 Takeaways from Leg 1 of the Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinal | OneFootball

For the second time in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF will have to look to the second leg in hopes of advancing to the next round.

Visiting Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Thursday for the opening leg of the Champions Cup semifinal, Miami fell 2–0, with the home side getting goals from U.S. men’s national team striker Brian White and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.

Starting all four former FC Barcelona players – Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba – the Herons were unable to control long portions of the game. They fell victim to a quick Vancouver transition and counterattack, as well as White’s aerial abilities, which have helped him score 10 goals in 15 matches across all competitions in 2025.

Playing in front of large crowds has become normal for Miami, and it was no different for the Whitecaps’ record crowd of 53,387. However, there were seldom cheers for the visitors, and indeed boos towards Messi whenever he touched the ball, a stark contrast to the reception across many other away matches.

“Vancouver are one of the best teams in transition. Sometimes you can prepare for things and sometimes you can do it [well], and sometimes you can’t,” head coach Javier Mascherano said after the match, while looking ahead to next week’s second leg at Chase Stadium.  “Now, maybe the pressure is for Vancouver. They have to keep the result. We will try to do it."

Busquets Struggles in Midfield Pivot

Sergio Busquets was unable to create any chances for Inter Miami's attackers on Thursday in Vancouver / Simon Fearn-Imagn Images

There are not many games Inter Miami plays where Busquets is completely held out of involvement. Yet, he was unable to make a significant impact against the Whitecaps, often running into one of Andres Cubas or Berhalter.

While the switch to play Federico Redondo in a more central position in a double pivot with Busquets looked like it had opened things up for both defensive midfielders, neither was able to control the game, as they were forced into the defensive third without the ability to create chances.

Busquets’ impact was also severely hampered by a lack of overlapping runs from Marcelo Weigandt and Jordi Alba, forcing the former FC Barcelona midfielder to put the ball up the middle of the pitch. Through the entire match, Busquets failed to create a single chance while sending 13 passes into the final third, none of which led to a shot.

The adjustment showed Mascherano’s willingness to adapt to an opponent, yet the partnership between Redondo and Busquets could take time before it can dominate matches.

Time to switch from 4-4-2?

A stark difference between the Whitecaps and Miami on Thursday was the commitment to tactical identity. While the Whitecaps have seldom shifted from their 4-3-3 and a rotated cast of players around key starters, Miami has shifted between a 4-3-3 and 4-4-2.

Suárez struggled more than he has against other teams. While his movements, mobility, and goal-scoring have taken a downturn this season, his impact on the matches has been negatively affected by the 4-4-2 formation.

Through his first 90 minutes of April, the Uruguayan failed to put a shot on target in two attempts and struggled to find spaces behind the Whitecaps' center back pairing of Ranko Veselinovic and Tristan Blackmon.

When looking ahead to the second leg, a 4-3-3 switch, as Mascherano has used in most MLS games, could prove fruitful and open up more space for Messi to work out wide, while also hindering Vancouver’s wide attacking efforts.

How will Mascherano balance Dallas on the weekend?

Javier Mascherano has significant lineup decisions against FC Dallas on the weekend / Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

The second leg of the semifinal looms large on the calendar for next week. However, Miami still have responsibilities in league play, travelling to Texas to face an upstart FC Dallas team, which can hurt them in similar ways to the Whitecaps.

While there will no doubt be plans to shut down the Whitecaps attackers at Chase Stadium, the Herons staff will also have to forge a plan to quiet Dallas attackers Luciano Acosta and Petar Musa, who have combined for six goals in 2025.

Through April and the Champions Cup so far, Mascherano has been hesitant to rest players, and it hasn't proven a problem yet. However, given his side has two draws, a win and a loss in their last five games in all competitions, saving some energy for the key players, in particular Suárez and Messi, could be worthwhile.

In 2024, then head coach Tata Martino ensured his players were at their peak for the club’s biggest games, and that will likely be the calculation the team has to make ahead of Sunday’s match. Whether Mashcerano opts to do so could pave the path for the rest of Miami’s Concacaf and Supporters’ Shield hopes.

FC Dallas currently sits ninth in the Western Conference and will look to give Miami their first loss of the MLS season, with kickoff set for 5:00 pm ET.