Whitecaps defeat Messi and Inter Miami 2-0 in 1st leg of CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal
CBC
The Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Lionel Messi and Inter Miami FC 2-0 at B.C. Place Thursday night in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal.
The Whitecaps took the lead in the 25th minute when Brian White headed a ball from Pedro Vite past Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari. Sebastian Berhalter added to the Whitecaps' lead with a goal in the 84th minute.
The highly-anticipated match came close to a year after many local soccer fans were disappointed when Messi — and fellow veterans Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets — didn't travel to Vancouver for Miami's regular-season MLS game against the Whitecaps.
More than 53,000 fans took in Thursday night's match at B.C. Place.
There were plenty of people wearing Messi jerseys in the stands, although the Argentine star was booed when he had possession of the ball.
Messi threatened in the 18th minute. He weaved through the defence and took a sharp angle shot from the corner of the net that was stopped, then cleared by defender Ranko Veselinovic. He had another shot in the 36th minute, blasting a ball from outside the box through a crowd that Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped.
The Argentine also had a free kick from distance in the 71st minute that Takaoka also handled.
Longtime Whitecaps fan Tony Gabriel said he was thrilled to see Messi play live, but he was far more excited at the prospect of having the Whitecaps advance to the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, which features the best teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
He said much has changed for the Whitecaps since Messi's no-show last year.
The 'Caps have the best record in MLS and lead the Western Conference with a 6-1-2 record for 20 points. Gabriel said new head coach Jesper Sorensen has his team playing with energy and cohesion.
"Look at the turnaround, look at the team, look at the depth that they have," said Gabriel, who sits in a section of B.C. Place known as Willie's Corner, named after Willie Johnston, a star with the Whitecaps back in the NASL era.
"How could you not be a fan of the Whitecaps? How could you not want to go out and and come to the games and watch the Whitecaps play? It doesn't matter who they're playing. Lionel Messi is a bonus, yes. But the team is doing amazing," Gabriel said.
The team's recent run of success comes at a critical time in franchise history.
Ownership announced late last year that the club was for sale. Earlier this month, the Whitecaps released a statement saying they are in discussions with the City of Vancouver regarding the construction of a stadium at the PNE fairgrounds site.
Alberta's election agency announced Monday it has approved a proposed referendum question on the province separating from Canada.
One person has been shot by police after allegedly stabbing two people in Toronto's northwest on Monday, police say.
Prince Edward Island's housing market is becoming more balanced, according to new data.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is presenting a new plan worth more than $35.5 billion to keep First Nations children connected to their communities, culture and families.
The RCMP arrested two men who allegedly used a classified ads website to recruit women to smuggle cannabis out of Canada to Nigeria via the country’s biggest airport.
One person is in a critical condition after an incident in Inukjuak, Que., which led to a shoot-out with police.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has picked business executive Mark Wiseman to serve as Canada's ambassador to the U.S.
A man in his thirties is in serious condition after a “targeted” shooting in Kensington Market early Monday morning, according to Toronto police.
One Labrador man is worried he might not make it home for the holidays after Wabush Airport cancelled multiple flights for several days.
Current and former members of Laurentian University’s staff and faculty unions will receive cheques in the new year after paying into a retiree health benefits plan that the university spent on its operational and capital budgets instead.
Shopping local may be the desire, but affordability might decide where shoppers spend their money this Christmas season.
As classes across New Brunswick pause for the holidays, it’s not yet clear which schools are making a dent in chronic absenteeism — a stubborn post-pandemic trend that mostly afflicts the high school cohort, especially in the Anglophone West school district.
CBC Quebec has launched its Make the Season Kind campaign. It's our annual campaign that focuses on food insecurity, while also celebrating kindness, generosity and community spirit around the province.