Nearly a year after being heartbroken when Lionel Messi was a no-show for the Inter Miami game on the road against the Vancouver Whitecaps, fans in the Canadian city got their wish. The Argentine icon traveled this time and was in the starting lineup for the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals at BC Place. The average listed price for the game jumped 92 percent, from $99 to $190, after it was confirmed that Messi would make an appearance at the game, according to data from Vivid Seats ticket marketplace.
A crowd of 53,000 was expected, which would break a Whitecaps record. The home crowd also got to see the Whitecaps take a 1-0 halftime lead on a header by Brian White at the 24-minute mark.
Miami coach Javier Mascherano stressed in the leadup to the game how important it was to score as many goals as possible in the opening leg of the series, and Miami maintained possession 71 percent of the first half, but Vancouver was the more dangerous team early and came close to scoring in the opening minutes.
The Whitecaps too three shots on goal in the first half and Miami took one. Joining Messi in the Miami Starting XI were goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, defender Noah Allen, defender Maxi Falcon, right back Marcelo Weigandt, left back Jordi Alba, midfielder Sergio Busquets, midfielder Fede Redondo, midfielder Telasco Segovia, winger Tadeo Allende, and forward Luis Suarez.
The Inter Miami bench included Drake Callender, Gonzalo Lujan, Tomas Aviles, Fafa Picault, David Martinez, Ian Fray, Leo Afonso, Allen Obando, Benja Cremaschi, Yannick Bright and Santi Morales.
Last May, Messi, Suarez, and Busquets rested during a crowded section of the schedule and did not travel for the game at BC Place, drawing the ire of the 51,000 fans who had purchased tickets.
The crowd booed every time Miami players touched the ball early in that match, which Inter Miami wound up winning 2-1 on goals by Robert Taylor and Leo Campana. Neither of those two players is with the team this time around.
Campana left for the New England Revolution and Taylor was traded to Austin FC on Wednesday. That was just a mid-season league game. This time, the stakes are much higher.
A spot in the Champions Cup final is on the line and Miami is facing a Vancouver team that has been the biggest surprise of the season and leads the Supporters’ Shield race with the league’s best record.
Miami leads MLS with 2.25 points per game and Vancouver is just behind at 2.22. It was a battle between the best team in the East and the best team in the West.
The Whitecaps boast a 6-1-2 league record, rank second in MLS with 17 goals scored and are tied for fewest allowed (six) despite injuries to two of their key players, Ryan Gauld and Sam Adekugbe.
Perhaps most impressive, Vancouver reached the Champions Cup semifinals by knocking off Mexican league powers Monterrey and Pumas.
Inter Miami lost to Monterrey in the quarterfinals last year. In both their series against Pumas and Monterrey, the Whitecaps tied the first leg at home, then scored in extra time to tie the second leg and advance on away goals.
Vancouver’s starting lineup Thursday included Yohei Takaoka, captain Ranko Veselinovic, Daniel Rios, Sebastian Berhalter, Edier Ocampo, Andres Cubas, Ali Ahmed, Brian White, Tate Johnson, Tristan Blackmon, and Pedro Vite.
Miami, which has played one fewer game, is the only remaining unbeaten team in the league and sits third in the East and fourth overall with a 5-0-3 record.
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