FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi stood at midfield with his hands on his hips, fixed his long hair and readjusted his captain’s armband while his Inter Miami teammates stood dumbfounded around him.
They had nothing else to do while waiting for the Vancouver Whitecaps to finish celebrating the knockout blows to their Concacaf Champions Cup run.
Vancouver’s Brian White and Pedro Vite scored goals in a less than two-minute stretch early in the second half, Sebastian Berhalter scored another after assisting on the first two goals, and the Whitecaps trounced Messi and Inter Miami in the semifinals with a 3-1 win – 5-1 aggregate score – in their second leg matchup at Chase Stadium on April 30.
Vancouver – the MLS Supporters’ Shield leaders with 23 points – will play in the Concacaf Champions Cup final on June 1 against either Cruz Azul or Tigres UANL. The LIGA MX clubs will finish their semifinal, tied at 1, on May 1 (10 p.m. ET on FS2).
On the other side, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano must quickly figure out how to save the 2025 season after the club’s most disappointing loss of the Messi era. They return to action at home against the New York Red Bulls on May 3 (7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass).
“You have to accept that they were better. They were much better than us. They are in the final and we aren’t. But if we want to compete, we need to improve and we need to learn from this situation,” Mascherano said after the defeat.
If the 5-1 cumulative debacle wasn’t bad enough, this match marked the first time Inter Miami lost three straight times in all competitions since Messi joined in July 2023. Inter Miami has surrendered nine goals during the stretch.
It’s a far cry from how they started the year – unbeaten in 14 straight matches, including an eight-game win streak, before first facing Vancouver on April 24 and losing 2-0 in the first leg of their semifinal.
Messi, 37, wasn’t at the height of his superpowers in either match against Vancouver. He appeared to show some magic when he set up Jordi Alba’s goal in the ninth minute, also assisted by Luis Suarez, to give Inter Miami some life in the semifinal. But he hasn’t scored in his last four matches.
Mascherano – the first-time coach who played at Barcelona with Messi, Suarez, Alba and Sergio Busquets – was vastly outmatched by first-year Vancouver coach Jesper Sørensen.
He used the same listless lineup he used in the first leg at Vancouver, without the likes of prospering midfielders Yannick Bright or Benjamin Cremaschi. The team succumbed again to the early onslaught as the second half got underway.
Suarez, 38, tried his best to make a difference but missed everything he sent toward the net. He’s been scoreless in his last 10 games after finishing as an MLS MVP finalist behind Messi last season.
“I think it’s fair to say that we have a younger team, and also team more capable of running and playing with high intensity,” Sørensen, of Denmark, said after the win.
Sure, Inter Miami’s failure in the MLS Cup playoffs last season – falling to Atlanta United in the first round – was a disastrous way to end 2024 after setting the league record with 74 points and winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield.
This Vancouver loss, however, is a bad sign for more disappointing play to come.
The Champions Cup was the first of five possible trophies Inter Miami was in contention for in 2025. While reaching the semifinal is an accomplishment for the young MLS franchise that was in existence for just 2½ years before Messi joined, failing to reach the final and win it with Messi on board is a shortcoming.
Inter Miami has four remaining titles to contend for – the Club World Cup and Leagues Cup this summer, the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup championship later this season.
But Inter Miami’s prospects for their third title with Messi – after the 2023 Leagues Cup and last year’s Shield – aren’t so bright after their Vancouver performance.
Inter Miami might have legendary star power with all-time greats, but they showed they can be overmatched and overwhelmed in the twilights of their careers when others around them are inexperienced.
“We need to push and take a step forward and try to improve in all the facets,” Mascherano said, “because I think this team can do much better.”