How Vancouver Whitecaps Stunned Lionel Messi's Inter Miami on Historic Night | OneFootball

Under the haze of Miami’s spring moon, music blared long after the final whistle outside Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s buses. Grasping well-earned beverages and rejoicing in the company of partners and children, it’s a jubilant moment the squad and its staff won’t soon forget.

It all came just after the Whitecaps knocked off Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF with a 3-1 win in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal at Chase Stadium, securing a 5–1 victory on aggregate and advancing to a continental final for the first time in the club’s 51-year history.

“It’s great for everybody in the club, for the fans, and maybe we can also rally the city of Vancouver behind this team even more,” first-year head coach Jesper Sørensen said after the match, enjoying a debut season he couldn’t have dreamed of. “I’m very happy for the players and for everybody working in the club, and for our fans that we get this moment.”

Post-match dance moves from Pedro Vite, Andres Cubas and several kids may have sent the club into the night, but the levity in the parking lot came after a fierce matchup. However, nobody could have guessed that, given the energy the players had.

A Historic Whitecaps Performance against Messi’s Miami

Sebastian Berhalter and Brian White led the way for Vancouver Whitecaps FC against Inter Miami CF / Courtesy of Concacaf

Over the two legs, Vancouver adapted and played to their strengths against Miami’s aging superstars, shutting down the UEFA Champions League-winning likes of Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, while relying on a clinical identity forged through a defiant unity.

As Miami pushed, Vancouver relied on the ball-winning midfield of Andres Cubas and Sebastian Berhalter. At the same time, Vite and Brian White tormented the Herons’ center backs, finishing the best chances that fell their way.

Many teams have fallen victim to the skills and poise of Miami’s veterans. Yet, Vancouver adapted to Miami’s faults and proved the better team, even after conceding an early goal to Alba in the second leg.

“Every team has its strengths and weaknesses, and what we talked about was how we could play into our strengths, and how we could make the games fit our strengths,” Sørensen added. “When you play Miami... It’s like when the circus comes to town. You go to watch it, but we came out too and controlled our emotions and proved we are a good football team."

With the two wins, Vancouver became the first team in Messi’s career to beat him in their first two games against him. Quite the achievement, considering the Whitecaps’ run to the final began with a tight win against Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League.

Whitecaps Thriving More Than Their Wildest Dreams

Vancouver Whitecaps FC helped organize away trips for almost 300 fans for the second leg against Inter Miami CF / Courtesy of Vancouver Whitecaps FC

While the players and staff partied their way onto the bus and the plane, CEO and Sporting Director Axel Schuster could barely muster words to describe his feelings.

If he had planned out the perfect start to 2025, it wouldn’t have measured up to sitting first in MLS after 10 matches and a berth in the Champions Cup Final on June 1 against Liga MX's Cruz Azul in Mexico City.

The 2–0 win in front of a club-record 53,387 fans in the first leg stood out. Yet, the second leg, played in front of a silenced Miami crowd and 300 travelling Whitecaps supporters, who the club had chartered down from Canada, meant something more.

“I cannot tell you how proud I am of all those guys and everyone who's worked at this club longer than me. I have hugged a few people on the pitch who were crying because they had to suffer a lot in this club,” Schuster said, having organized the charter flights and travel logistics for the fans.

“We went into these games with confidence and belief in the Vancouver Whitecaps, and then we have this in our DNA where we can win, and it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, we are a team that can beat everyone.”

Dreaming of More History

Sebastian Berhalter (left) has faith the Whitecaps can win the Concacaf Champions Cup on June 1 after beating Messi's Miami / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As much as MLS success has behooved the Whitecaps in 2025,  the Champions Cup has fueled their dreams. Through their journey, they’ve eliminated Liga MX giants Pumas UNAM and CF Monterrey, and dominated Miami.

It’s all come at a pivotal time for the club, too. Under a new head coach and with the current owners actively looking to sell, this success measures not only as a surprise but also as a therapeutic boost to a team and its fan base that still hails the 1979 NASL Soccer Bowl as its greatest achievement.

“This is definitely the No. 2 [greatest moment] for now, after what happened in 1979...I haven't been at the club that long, though, so for me it is No. 1,” Schuster said. “This is probably the second best in history so far, but we are working on making it the best.”

White, who was named the MLS Player of the Month just hours before the second leg, beamed as he addressed reporters after the match, speaking glowingly and freely, rather than his usual reserved comments.

With 11 goals in 16 games in all competitions, he’s the driving force of their run. Yet, it was a fan display in the first leg that hung in his mind in South Florida.

“The fans had a tifo that said we allowed them to dream again, and I think that was the message that the players brought as well,” he said. “We all have this dream, and we’re thrilled that Vancouver came out to support us and that we can do this for them, and everyone who’s been around the club for so long.”

White, though, was far from the only standout. Debatably, he wasn’t even the best player, with that honor falling to Berhalter, a 23-year-old American midfielder, who turned USMNT supporters’ heads as they seek a strong, young central midfielder.

The tifo display Vancouver Whitecaps FC supporters made at the first leg resonated in the second leg in Miami / Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

Although Berhlater will miss the final due to yellow card accumulation, he made himself count against Miami and will undoubtedly continue playing a vital role in Vancouver’s preparations for June 1’s final.

“We’re dreamers. You know: Why not, right?,” He said. “We’re a small-market club, but why not win the whole thing? We’ve been saying it since day one: we’re about trophies. This club wants to win trophies. That’s why we’re here.”

Rolling out of the stadium into the pitch black tarmac where a fan charter and the players’ plane sat in Fort Lauderdale, nobody could have guessed it was the early hours of the morning, or an upcoming cross-continental flight.

Beers still flowed, and the music and vibes were still high. This was a Whitecaps moment few could have imagined just weeks ago, and one that each person embraced in their own way.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC has endured several long stretches of mediocrity and dark eras. But on Wednesday, none of that mattered. Their dreams of a first continental trophy soared, rising above darkness, just like their planes cutting through the night sky.

They left their doubts in Florida for the night, ringing in the heads of Inter Miami CF’s players and staff.

“This has been quite a ride for us and quite a ride for [the fans],” White said. “The sky’s the limit to what we can achieve this year. Hopefully, we can stay humble, know where we come from, believe in ourselves, and continue to push forward.”