Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — The Vancouver Whitecaps pulled off a jaw-dropping upset on April 30, 2025, dismantling Inter Miami CF 3-1 in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal at Chase Stadium. With a 5-1 aggregate score, the Whitecaps punched their ticket to the June 1 final, leaving Lionel Messi and his star-studded squad in the dust.
Miami, trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Vancouver on April 24, needed a miracle—three goals in regulation to flip the script. They came out swinging. Nine minutes in, Jordi Alba fired a rocket, assisted by Luis Suárez, giving the home crowd a flicker of hope. But Vancouver, unfazed, tightened their grip like a vice.
The Whitecaps’ response was surgical. In the 51st minute, Sebastian Berhalter fed Brian White for the equalizer, a clinical finish that silenced the Miami faithful. Two minutes later, Pedro Vite pounced on a deflection, slipping it past goalkeeper Oscar Ustari to make it 2-1. The one-two punch left Miami reeling. Berhalter, not done yet, sealed the deal in the 71st minute, drilling a shot from the box’s heart into the bottom left corner. Miami’s defense, caught flat-footed, had no answer.
Vancouver’s dominance wasn’t just on the scoreboard. They outworked Miami across the pitch, with Berhalter assisting on the first two goals and netting one himself. The 23-year-old midfielder, who also scored in the first leg, has been Vancouver’s linchpin, involved in all five of their semifinal goals. But he’ll miss the final, sidelined by yellow card accumulation after a first-half foul on Miami’s Tadeo Allende.
Miami’s night wasn’t without grit. Messi, in the final year of his contract, pushed hard but couldn’t break through, extending his goalless streak to four matches. The Herons, despite their early lead, crumbled under Vancouver’s relentless pressure. Yellow cards piled up—Maximiliano Falcón in the 24th minute, Federico Redondo at the half’s end, and Telasco Segovia in the 62nd—reflecting Miami’s frustration.
Substitutions told their own story. Vancouver swapped out Tate Johnson for Sam Adekugbe at halftime and later brought in Damir Kreilach and Belal Halbouni to lock things down. Miami, desperate, subbed in Gabriel Lujan and Daniel Rios in the 56th minute, but the moves fizzled. The Whitecaps’ backline, anchored by Tristan Blackmon and Ranko Veselinović, stood tall, snuffing out any late Miami rally.
The match, played before a packed Chase Stadium, marked a historic moment for Vancouver. They now await the winner of Cruz Azul and Tigres UANL in the final, with a chance to claim their first-ever Concacaf Champions Cup title and spots in the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Berhalter received a yellow card in the first half. Alba’s goal was his first of the season. Vancouver’s aggregate victory was 5-1. The final is set for June 1, 2025.