The Vancouver Whitecaps appeared to be a team of destiny going into Saturday’s MLS Cup final.
Written off by many critics before the campaign even began, the Whitecaps responded with a spectacularly strong regular season (the best in club history) before posting impressive playoff wins over FC Dallas, LAFC and San Diego FC.
Just 90 minutes away from joining Toronto FC as the only Canadian team to win the MLS Cup, the Whitecaps entered Saturday’s final with a great deal of swagger, even though Miami had the benefit of playing at Chase Stadium, their home venue. Ultimately, the Whitecaps fell short, but not for a lack of effort and heart.
Here’s what you need to know about Vancouver’s loss to Miami.
The score
Vancouver Whitecaps 1, Inter Miami FC 3: Match report || Match stats
Main talking points
Vancouver falls short in slim-margin moments
Sports is sometimes a very cruel business. Mistakes made in the blink of an eye can be the difference between winning and losing, ruthlessly punished by a merciless opponent. Lady Luck can be just as cold and unforgiving. Good fortune tends to grace those who make the most of their chances at critical junctures. Just as easily, bad luck befalls those who fail to capitalize on their opportunities.
It’s a valuable lesson the Whitecaps learned the hard way on Saturday. A combination of individual mistakes and bad luck in slim-margin moments is what ultimately led to their downfall.
Miami took an eighth-minute lead when Lionel Messi freed himself from two Vancouver players thanks to some fancy footwork on the halfway line before slipping a pass to Rodrigo De Paul. The ball eventually found its way to Tadeo Allende, who charged into the penalty area and played a square ball across the box for teammate Mateo Silvetti. But the ball never reached Silvetti. Instead, it was knocked into the back of Vancouver’s net by Whitecaps defender Édier Ocampo, who was attempting to make a clearance.
To its great credit, Vancouver didn’t buckle under the pressure and held its nerve after that own-goal, bossing the game for long stretches and forcing Miami’s defenders on the back foot with their pressing play. Ali Ahmed’s 60th-minute equalizer was just reward for the visitors.
Two minutes later, Whitecaps forward Emmanuel Sabbi cut through Miami’s defence and unleashed a shot from inside the penalty area that beat goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo, but it didn’t settle into the back of the net. It clattered off both posts before defender Maximiliano Falcón was able to clear away the danger.
Had Sabbi scored, we’d be talking about the Whitecaps as MLS champions right now. Vancouver was in the ascendancy at that moment, and a second goal would’ve been a dagger in Miami’s chest.
But the hosts would not be denied and never looked back after retaking the lead in the 71st minute. A model of reliability all season, Vancouver’s Andrés Cubas was far too casual in possession deep inside his half with Messi of all people lurking. The Argentine ace took full advantage of the situation, storming his countryman to win back the ball and then fed De Paul, who slotted home the goal that stood up as the game-winner. A third goal in injury time was just the icing on the cake for Miami.
Messi comes through for Miami
Saturday’s contest was billed as a matchup between a pair of World Cup winners in Argentina’s Messi and Thomas Müller of Germany, even though they are both part of two very strong squads.
Historically, Müller has been able to get the better of Messi in their previous 11 encounters for club and country. Müller’s teams won on eight of those occasions, while the German out-scored Messi 7-3.
But it was Messi whose star shone brightest on this day, overshadowing the underperforming Müller by some distance. The German often found himself swarmed and crowded off the ball by Miami’s defenders and ended up having a relatively quiet afternoon.
Messi made the most of his moments with the ball. It was his incisive pass that released countryman De Paul forward and ultimately led to the opening own-goal. With the game hanging in the balance, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner then forced a turnover by Whitecaps midfielder Cubas deep inside his half before feeding a slide rule ball to De Paul, who put it away. A second assist followed on Miami’s third goal deep into injury time. It was pure magic from Messi, allowing his team to halt any possibility of a Vancouver comeback.
Goal of the game
Sitting on a precarious 2-1 lead in injury time, Miami put the game away with a bit of magic from Messi. A first-time cross by Jordi Alba was expertly chested down by Messi, who then played a one-touch volley without letting the ball hit the ground. That exquisite touch from Messi released Allende in behind Vancouver’s defence and the Argentinian winger made no mistake, slipping his shot into the bottom corner past helpless Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.
Save of the game
In the 38th minute, Sebastian Berhalter’s in-swinging set piece was initially headed away at the back post by Miami, but the ball fell to Ocampo outside of the box. The Colombian’s delivery back into the box found Ralph Priso, whose header across the face of the goal found Sabbi, but his volley attempt from inside the six-yard area was stopped by Rocco Ríos Novo, who made himself big.
Six pack of stats
• Messi and De Paul (Argentina) and Alba and Sergio Busquets (Spain) are the first World Cup champions to win an MLS Cup.
• The host team has won eight of the past nine MLS Cups.
• Messi has now won 46 trophies during his career.
• Miami went 21-0-3 this season when it scored the game’s first goal.
• Ahmed is only the second Canadian international to score in an MLS Cup final. Dwayne De Rosario was the other.
• Messi recorded an MLS playoff record 15 goal contributions (six goals and nine assists) this post-season. His nine assists were also a playoff record.
Best social media post
A noted soccer fan, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney wished the Whitecaps all the best before kickoff:
Three stars
1. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami): The Argentinian legend played a part in setting up Miami’s opener and then collected assists on its other two goals in the second half to seal the win for the hosts.
2. Ali Ahmed (Vancouver Whitecaps): Scored the equalizer and was a driving force for the Whitecaps with his dynamic play down the left side. A tireless workhorse before getting subbed out.
3. Emmanuel Sabbi (Vancouver Whitecaps): Was an attacking menace for the visitors with his quickness on the ball and probing runs. Had an assist and a game-high four shots.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
