Inter Miami and an aging Messi dumped out of CONCACAF Champions Cup by Vancouver Whitecaps Inter Miami had Lionel Messi and the most valuable roster in Major League Soccer. It had Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and a starting 11 stocked with young South American talent. It had the highest payroll in MLS history and eyes on regional supremacy, so there was a hope, perhaps even an expectation, that Messi and co. would reach the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. But on Wednesday, for the second time in six days, the Vancouver Whitecaps were simply better. They were unheralded and hardly hyped, often forgotten and now for sale; but in the second leg of a semifinal, they dumped Inter Miami out of the Champions Cup, winning 3-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate. And they made Messi and Suarez look old. They kept both off the scoreboard for a fourth consecutive game. They outran and outsmarted Miami, and left the Herons wondering how the heck they'll ever be able to climb to the top of CONCACAF. This was the competition that Inter had prioritized. This, like the Club World Cup, was a chance to prove that, with Messi, they were not merely the best team in the U.S., but the best in North America. It was a stage on which they could establish themselves as a global brand, as a club, and maybe even a team, that could compete internationally. But over 180 minutes, for a second consecutive year, those ambitions unraveled. They unraveled most of all in the second half of Wednesday's second leg. Vancouver — down 1-0 to Alba's early goal, but still ahead 2-1 on aggregate — scored two quick-fire goals, and eventually a third. Brian White and Ali Ahmed, Pedro Vite and Sebastian Berhalter galloped into gaping holes in the Miami midfield. Berhalter's incisive run, and White's clever finish in the 51st minute, canceled out Alba's tally, and left Inter needing three more goals to wipe out Vancouver's advantage. VANCOUVER GOAL!!! 🇨🇦 Brian White scores to extend the lead on aggregate! 👏 pic.twitter.com/eQvVgfd57W — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) May 1, 2025 And two minutes later, the Herons needed four. Vite's deflected shot looped over Oscar Ustari. Miami fans dug their faces into their palms. OMG! The Whitecaps score AGAIN to go up 4-1 on aggregate 😱 pic.twitter.com/S2tNRawbJA — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) May 1, 2025 Eighteen minutes after that, Berhalter — the son of former U.S. men's national team coach Gregg — drove home the dagger. A few hundred traveling supporters jumped for joy. A few thousand Miami fans trudged toward Chase Stadium exits. Because Vancouver, one of the five least valuable franchises in MLS, was heading through to the Champions Cup final, where it will face the winner of Tigres vs. Cruz Azul. And Inter Miami, a phenomenon without parallel in league history, is out.