Brian White and Sebastian Berhalter scored as Vancouver Whitecaps beat Inter Miami 2-0 in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup semi-final.
A club-record MLS-era crowd of 53,837 watched Vancouver contain Lionel Messi and carry a two-goal advantage out of BC Place on 24 April 2025.
White heads Vancouver in front
White opened the scoring after 24 minutes. Pedro Vite lifted a cross into the area and the striker directed his header beyond Oscar Ustari.
It was White’s 65th Vancouver goal, drawing him level with Carl Valentine for fourth on the club’s all-time list.
Messi had found space behind the defence shortly before the opener, but Ranko Veselinovic recovered to clear the danger.
Berhalter rewards a disciplined second half
Inter Miami finished with 69 percent possession but put only two shots on target. Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka kept his seventh clean sheet of the season in all competitions.
The Whitecaps struck again with fewer than 10 minutes left. Emmanuel Sabbi found J.C. Ngando, who released Jayden Nelson down the side of the area. Nelson pulled the ball back and Berhalter finished the move.
Vancouver take control of the semi-final
Miami coach Javier Mascherano said his team lost too many individual contests. He acknowledged that Miami now needed at least two goals in the second leg without conceding.
Whitecaps coach Jesper Sorensen knew many supporters had come to see Messi, but praised his players for giving the home crowd a performance of their own.
Vancouver’s two-goal victory left Miami chasing the tie and put the Whitecaps within one result of the Champions Cup final.
