The South Florida side was crushed on Wednesday as they squandered another trophy chance
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami's run in the CONCACAF Champions Cup has come to an end after an embarrassing 3-1 defeat (5-1 aggregate) to the Vancouver Whitecaps at home.
Inter Miami actually off to an inspired start. Down 2-0 from that first leg, Miami scored first through Jordi Alba, seemingly putting some doubt into the Canadian side. Going into halftime with a 1-0 advantage, it was all to play for in the final 45. Yet, there was a moment in the second half, somewhere between the 55th and 60th minute, where Inter Miami seemingly accepted their fate. Even as the Vancouver Whitecaps continued to run circles around them, had all but given up. They weren't tracking back anymore. They weren't fighting or brawling. There was time on the clock, but there was no doubt remaining: their CONCACAF Champions Cup hopes were over.
Miami's Champions Cup ambitions didn't end in Vancouver last week, when they fell 2-0 to the Whitecaps in the opening leg. No, run ended with a 10-minute second half blitz in Leg 2. Brian White, who has terrorized everyone in his path all season long, scored in the 51st minute to all but bury Miami due to the away goals rule. Pedro Vite's deflected finish two minutes later made the comeback impossible. Sebastian Berhalter then added a third in the 71st minute to put an exclamation point on this thing, sending a message to all who were watching that the Whitecaps were playing a different sort of game than the team opposite them.
While Inter Miami were expected to make the final prior to the semifinal matchup, the Whitecaps move on as the unquestioned better team. This wasn't luck, this was a shellacking.
Onto the final they go, while Miami will be left looking at another missed opportunity with a trophy on the line. This is a flawed team, one that is still nowhere near where it needs to be under new coach Javier Mascherano. Defensively, this group still has so many frailties, and the attack is still missing that certain something that showed up for large stretches of last season.
With the Club World Cup looming, have work to do.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Chase Stadium…
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Oscar Ustari (5/10):
Was nowhere near White's opener and was caught out on the Vite deflection. Fine in the first half, but couldn't do anything to prevent the mess that opened the second.
Jordi Alba (7/10):
Provided one heck of a finish and helped set a physical tone throughout. Typical game from him, exactly what he has done for the last decade.
Noah Allen (6/10):
Pretty good on the ball and also had a goal-saving tackle in the first half to bail Miami out. Definitely the better of the two central defenders.
Maximiliano Falcon (4/10):
Got cooked a few times in the first half, which is how he earned a yellow card for a foul on White. Was taken off early in the second half, partly due to that yellow and partly due to his inability to prevent the Whitecaps flurry.
Marcelo Weigandt (4/10):
Targeted on all three of the Whitecaps goals, which is never good for a player's rating. His inability to clear on the Whitecaps' second, in particular, was damning for Miami.
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Sergio Busquets (5/10):
Generally did what he does best, but it wasn't even close to enough as the young Whitecaps midfield ran circles around their Inter Miami counterparts.
Federico Redondo (6/10):
Picked up a yellow card just before the half that essentially sealed his fate. He was clean on the ball, but was part of the mess for those first two Whitecaps goals before being taken out of the match.
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Telasco Segovia (5/10):
Good on the ball, but didn't offer nearly enough off of it as the Whitecaps were never really threatened down his side.
Tadeo Allende (6/10):
Hit the woodwork, which was a bit unlucky. Overall, offered some good things on that right-hand side, even if Miami struggled to make much of anything with it.
Lionel Messi (5/10):
By his standards, this is about as quiet as it gets. Created just one chance and didn't ever threaten the goal himself. Credit to the Whitecaps for silencing the Argentinian icon.
Luis Suarez (7/10):
Was credited with the assist on Alba's goal. Went on to do all of the little things needed to lead the line, completing all but two passes while leading the match in fouls drawn. He didn't offer much in terms of being dangerous in front of goal, though.
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Gonzalo Lujan (6/10):
Came on to replace Falcon and was almost certainly an upgrade in that position, but that's not saying much
Benja Cremaschi (6/10):
With the midfield needing more legs, Miami turned to Cremaschi early in the second half. By that point, though, it was too late.
Allen Obando (4/10):
Was just about anonymous, failing to do much of anything during his 30-ish minutes.
Hector Martinez (N/A):
Chucked on in defense late with the game totally out of hand.
Yannick Bright (N/A):
Same as above, although he was able to do significantly more than Obando did in less than half the time.
Javier Mascherano (5/10):
A tale of two halves, for sure, but Mascherano will get some criticism for personnel decisions here. The midfield and defense featured some calls that were certainly up for debate. A lesson for the first-year manager, who was second best on the day in his spot with both his tactics and lineup choices.
