Messi returns, and Inter Miami are ready to break LAFC in LA | OneFootball

The Concacaf Champions Cup is not the place for those who are holding on to yesterday or counting on promise. It's where result needs to equal expectation, and where reputation carries weight. That is the environment when LAFC and Inter Miami meet in the quarterfinals of 2025. One, a California team used to pressure games but dropping more often than it should. On the other, a spotless Inter Miami, revamped under new management and brimming with stars that draw in all directions. Feels like a film, but it's real, and it's on, and it all starts at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

LAFC and the dilemma where glory doesn't pay

Given LAFC's roster on paper, it is dazzling. Hugo Lloris between the sticks, Denis Bouanga up front, Mark Delgado in the middle. There's grit, pedigree, buckets of experience. But that hasn't translated to consistency. Steve Cherundolo's team won only two of their previous six games, one from MLS cellar-dwellers Sporting Kansas City. The other was important: a 3–0 win over Columbus Crew in the first leg of round of 16. Apart from that, the team has gone back and forth between positive performances and lackluster finishes. Performance and outcome haven't always gone hand-in-hand and in a knockout tournament, that's a formula for disaster. But you can't help but dismiss Black & Gold's recent past in the Champions Cup.

Finalists in 2020 and 2023, this squad knows the way and, even better, knows how to fight it out. They saw off Columbus 4–2 on aggregate and rely heavily on Bouanga's input. The striker has netted 10 and helped four so far in just 12 Champions Cup matches. That's a sound that can be heard, especially when there's pressure.

Inter Miami with the same passion and Messi

In contrast, though, Inter Miami seems to have left 2024 chaos behind in the rearview mirror. With head coach Javier Mascherano, they remain undefeated after nine matches, earning eight wins and a draw. They've scored 19 and conceded six. Even not fully fit, Messi has been instrumental.

He sat out the March FIFA window due to an adductor strain but returned against the Philadelphia Union and scored the game-winner just two minutes after getting on the field. Literally. The No. 10 has five goals and two assists in six games this season, numbers that barely indicate the impact he has with his presence alone. Together with him, Luis Suárez also left his footprint, scoring in both matches against Cavalier FC in the round of 16. Inter Miami comes to this match feeling strong and with a clear willingness to do better than last year, when they lost to Monterrey with minimal chance of coming back.

Head-to-head and dangerous balance

This will be the first time LAFC and Inter Miami face off in the Concacaf Champions Cup, but they’ve already played three times before. LAFC leads the all-time series with two wins to Miami’s one. But in this case, stats don’t mean much. Momentum weighs heavier. LAFC needs to prove it still has the edge to handle a team full of confidence and players who can flip a game in a single touch.

The first leg at BMO Stadium could be pivotal. Playing at home is only an advantage on paper if the team can actually capitalize on the environment. Because the second leg will be in Florida, in front of a packed house rallying behind Messi and company. If LAFC doesn’t build a lead now, it might find itself trapped in Miami’s momentum next week.