The Vancouver Whitecaps are one match away from being kings of North America, seeing off Inter Miami to win the semifinal series 5-1 on aggregate on the back of a scintillating second half in Ft. Lauderdale.

An early Miami goal caused brief panic, but the Whitecaps created enough chances that you felt they could get the goal they needed. Tallies from Brian White, Pedro Vite, and Seb Berhalter more than did the trick and will lift Vancouver into the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.

Jesper Sorensen went with what is by now the Whitecaps’ first choice XI, with the only real wrinkle is the decision to start Emmanuel Sabbi and Ali Ahmed alongside Brian White up front. Miami did not change their starting XI after the first leg. 

Vancouver started brightly, trying to find moments with runners off of Brian White so they could pull Maxi Falcon out of position. At least for a few moments, they didn’t seem awed by the occasion.

But a nightmare moment from Vancouver saw Miami immediately get back into the tie. Vancouver were caught sleeping after a quick goal kick and were out of shape, allowing Luis Suarez to pick apart the backline and find an open Jordi Alba. The left back saw his shot sneak under Yohei Takaoka and into the back of the net for a vital goal.

The moment seemed to rattle the Caps, but they very nearly steadied themselves, with Brian White capitalizing on a Falcon slip to advance and play in Sabbi 1v1 but his shot could only hit the outside of the upright and go wide. 

Their woes in the box continued, with White and Vite unable to capitalize on some elegant build up play. Vancouver in turn continued to struggle to cope with Miami overloading the right side of the defense to ask questions of Edier Ocampo.

Both teams had flashes before the half to grab a crucial goal. A pair of balls nearly found White 1v1 but Oscar Ustari dealt with both. Then it was Yohei Takaoka’s turn to gratefully touch the ball to his chest, with Tadeo Allende unable to deal with a 1v1. Vancouver’s promise was often blunted by some cheap giveaways in the middle third, leading either to Miami chances or set piece looks.

The Whitecaps locked in at the start of the second half, and got the away goal they so desperately needed. Some excellent play from Ali Ahmed pulled the Miami backline out of system and found Berhalter in space, finding White, who cleverly flicked it past Ustari to send the away end into raptures.

It was a quickfire double, with the Caps ripping Miami apart on the counter just a minute later. Pedro Vite’s final strike had some fortune, as it drifted over a wrong-footed Ustari.

Those developments firmly shifted Miami into attack mode and they had a few half chances. Vancouver tried to tempt the home side into getting out of position, pinging the ball around in the back. That meant some risk for Vancouver but plenty of reward.

That industry also meant pressure in the Miami defensive third and it gifted them a third, with Ali Ahmed bodying Marcelo Weigandt to win the ball, hooking up with the sub Daniel Rios on a quick interchange. Rios’ shot was blocked but the ball fell kindly for Berhalter, who made no mistake on the finish from the top of the box.

As the fans streamed out of Chase Stadium, Miami’s faint hopes of advancement faded to black and the 300 away supporters were loud and clear. Said Martinez blew right at 90 minutes, and the Whitecaps players found the supporters, toasting a famous victory and a spot in the June 1st final.

Stray Thoughts

• Brian White absolutely owned Maxi Falcon in this one, baiting him into a yellow, turning him and nearly finding an assist and then, ultimately, getting the goal he deserved. His physicality and presence is massive in a match like this and wore down the Miami backline. His hamstring knock will need to be closely monitored.
• Pedro Vite megging Jordi Alba is maybe one of the disrespectful things I have seen from an MLS team ever.
• Miami certainly got their licks in but Vancouver settled in quite well to respond and were unlucky not to score in the first half. Credit to Edier Ocampo, who looked shaky in the first 45 minutes, responded well to play much tighter in the second half.
• Ali Ahmed cooked on the left hand side and Weigandt will likely have nightmares about going 1v1 with the Canadian winger. He wasn’t on the score sheet but he could have been with some nice play with White and his five touches in the Miami box underscored that he was often the key player in the attack.
• OK, Seb Berhalter. The only reason it took this long to get here is because I had to fathom the stupidity of the yellow card accumulation rules in the semifinals. It will be a massive loss, Ryan Gauld or no, that Berhalter will miss the final but my God he did everything possible to get them to the mountaintop. A goal and two assists was accompanied by many more passes into the final third to create danger. Coming off a run where he has been deservedly praised as an elite midfielder, it was rewarding to see him add the icing on the cake. It will be a loss for all soccer fans that he won’t play in the final.
• Vancouver not only dominated this match, they did so to such a degree that they could host the final (depending on the result tomorrow in Mexico). Credit to Jesper Sørensen for making the needed halftime adjustments and credit to every player for continuing to play with such daring, bravery and toughness that they won’t be underestimated, no matter where the final winds up being. An absolutely dazzling second half display that will not be forgotten anytime soon and a victory for thoughtful roster building and player development over whatever Miami have become.

Man of the Match

Sebastian Berhalter, Brian White, Pedro Vite, and Ali Ahmed are all in with a shout here, which underscores how good Vancouver was in this one. But it is hard to look past Berhalter, whose goal and two assists underscore how incisive his movement and intelligent his reading of this match was.