Whitecaps Make History at BC Place While Inter Miami and Messi Return Home Defeated

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On Thursday night, April 24, 2025, Vancouver witnessed a historic moment for Canadian soccer. BC Place hosted the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals, where the Vancouver Whitecaps faced Inter Miami and secured a 2-0 victory in front of the club’s largest MLS-era crowd, with over 53,000 fans in attendance. Until then, the record had been 51,035 fans — also against Inter Miami back in 2024, when many hoped to see Lionel Messi play, but he ultimately did not take the field.

This time, Messi was on the pitch, and expectations were high for a brilliant performance from the Argentine star. But it wasn’t enough — and it was the home team that stole the show. The Whitecaps came out strong, breaking through Miami’s defense early in the game and taking a big step toward the tournament final. Around the 20-minute mark, Miami nearly scored, but Vancouver responded quickly. At the 24th minute, Brian White opened the scoring. The second goal came in the final minutes, at the 85th, when midfielder Sebastian Berhalter found the back of the net.

After the match, Inter Miami’s head coach Javier Mascherano acknowledged the challenges of the game and said he would analyze everything and make the necessary changes:
 “Today we lost, I am the first responsible for this but I still believe in this team & I know we are going to find the way to play a good game in Miami & try to came back.”
 Mascherano also recognized the quality of the team built by Danish coach Jesper Sørensen:
 “Not too much to say — they were better than us. They deserved to win.”
Since Sørensen’s arrival in January 2025, the Whitecaps have shown impressive defensive structure, even though their attacking play is still developing.

 

The second leg is set for Wednesday, April 30 at 5:00 p.m., at Chase Stadium in Florida. Inter Miami now faces a tough challenge: they must win by two goals to take the game to penalties, or by three goals to advance straight to the final.

There’s no denying that Messi’s presence drew massive attention. The energy inside BC Place was electric, and the Whitecaps’ fan support made a huge difference. After defeating a team like Miami in an international semifinal, Vancouver is now just one step away from the Concacaf Champions Cup final.

On the other side of the bracket, two Mexican giants are facing off — Tigres UANL and Cruz Azul. The first leg, held on Wednesday, April 23, ended in a 1-1 draw, so everything is still up for grabs in the return leg.

One thing is clear: no matter who the opponent is in the final, the Whitecaps are ready to make history — and they’ll give everything they’ve got to reach the top and lift the trophy.