Vancouver Whitecaps dominate Messi and Inter Miami in Record Breaking Match

Photo Credit: Megan Swain/GATG

On April 24, 2025 the Vancouver Whitecaps faced off against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals. Resulting in a 2-0 victory for the Whitecaps.

The match had a record-breaking attendance of 53,837 fans. BC Place was buzzing with energy in anticipation to watch world renowned soccer player, Lionel Messi.

Megan Swain/GATG

Vancouver showed up for the hometown team with posters, waving their team flags, and cheering loud for their team. A banner with the words “You Allowed Us to Dream Again,” set the tone of the match.

After kick-off, you could see the Whitecaps had a plan and were determined to stick to it. Relying on strong defence, the Whitecaps fought to stop Messi at all costs. 

At the 2’, the Whitecaps had an opportunity to open the scoring, but were denied by the Miami goalie.

The energy in the stadium never waned. The fans even booed Miami’s famous #10, creating an intimidating scene for the other team. 

At around 10 minutes into the first half, you could see Messi was getting frustrated by his lack of scoring. 

The Whitecap defence was focused on not allowing any balls to go near the goalie, and those that did were stopped by Takaoka. 

At 25’, the stadium roared as a goal was scored by Vancouver’s Brian White. This would be his 10th goal of the season across all tournaments, the goal was assisted by Pedro Vite. The goal tied White for 4th place in all time goals in club history. 

This goal motivated the Whitecaps to keep the energy flowing while making the opposition desperate for a goal.

By the second half, Inter Miami closed in on the attacking zone. Yet, the Whitecaps were faster, taking possession of the ball anytime it came close to the net and creating deviations. 

Miami’s plan seemed to be get the ball, pass to Messi and rely on him to score. The Whitecaps played by instinct, relying on teamwork to secure a win. Their team effort allowed them to capitalize on Miami’s lack of play consistency and mistakes. 

Jayden Nelson was back in the lineup after returning from injury. He only played a few minutes but, his contribution helped electrify the stadium. 

With only 6 minutes left in the game, Sebastian Berhalter scored the game winning goal, assisted by Nelson. This second goal created waves of excitement throughout BC Place.

The Whitecaps are now set to play in the second leg of the semifinals in Fort Lauderdale on April 30. The winner will proceed to play for the championship against either Cruz Azul F.C. or UANL Tigres, two Mexican powerhouses.