Magnificent Vancouver Whitecaps sweep Inter Miami, reach Concacaf final | OneFootball

The Vancouver Whitecaps have reached their first continental final after sweeping both legs of their Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.

Brian White and Pedro Vite scored two minutes apart early in the second half on Wednesday night in a 3-1 victory in Leg 2 on Wednesday night in South Florida.

Sebastian Berhalter added a third of the night in the 71st minute. That was far more than enough for manager Jesper Sorensen's sensational group, which advanced 5-1 on aggregate after their 2-0 home win in the first leg last Thursday.

Up next?

The Whitecaps will face the winner of the all-Liga MX semifinal between Cruz Azul and Tigres UANL, which concludes with Leg 2 on Thursday in Mexico City.

That series is currently tied 1-1, and Vancouver can host the final if the Mexican clubs play to another tie over 90 minutes in the return leg. Otherwise, the Whitecaps will be the visiting team in the final, scheduled for June 1.

Jordi Alba scored early for Inter Miami, which falls one match shy of reaching its second continental final since Lionel Messi arrived in South Florida during the summer of 2023.

The Herons previously won the 2023 Leagues Cup, triumphing on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the final at Nashville SC.

Historical context

The Whitecaps are the 10th MLS club to reach the final of the competition, and the eighth since the knockout phase became contested primarily in the home-and-away total goals format, beginning in 2002.

Should they win the final, they would become only the fourth MLS team to win the honor, and only the second in that post-2002 modern era, joining the 2022 Seattle Sounders.

The Whitecaps are also the third Canadian MLS club to reach the final, joining the then-Montreal Impact in 2014-15 and Toronto FC in 2018. No Canadian side has ever won Concacaf's top club honor.