Vancouver: Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami project hit a stunning low on Wednesday as the team was outplayed, outrun, and outclassed by a young Vancouver Whitecaps side. A 3-1 second-leg defeat in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final, coupled with a 2-0 first-leg loss, confirmed a 5-1 aggregate exit and reignited criticism of Miami’s ageing lineup built around Messi’s former Barcelona teammates.
Old Friends, Slow Legs
The Miami project, once hailed as the next chapter in Major League Soccer’s global growth, now risks becoming a cautionary tale. Luis Suarez, 38, looks spent. Sergio Busquets no longer controls the midfield like he once did. Jordi Alba attacks well but seemingly has no defensive obligations.
Messi, 37, still produces flashes of brilliance, but he increasingly lacks the energetic, young support required to thrive. The Whitecaps exposed this weakness in brutal fashion, attacking spaces left open by Miami’s sluggish midfield and disconnected attack.
“They Can’t Run, Can’t Defend”
Fox Sports pundit Warren Barton offered a damning summary: “They can’t run, they can’t defend, and there’s no balance. Five stay up front, and the rest try to defend. And they can’t defend.”
Even Vancouver’s head coach Jasper Sorensen hinted at the obvious mismatch. “We have a younger team, more capable of playing with intensity. We knew they wouldn’t track back, so we just kept running forward.”
The Whitecaps’ tactical plan worked seamlessly as Miami, reliant on tired legs and benching younger players, fell apart under pressure.
Mascherano’s Management Under Fire
Javier Mascherano, another former Barcelona and Argentina teammate of Messi, is now under scrutiny. His decision to prioritize veterans and ignore younger, homegrown talent further unbalanced the team. His post-game admission focused only on MLS fixtures, dismissing the looming threat of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Global Risks: Al Ahly, Porto, Palmeiras Await
Inter Miami’s global litmus test is just around the corner. They face Egypt’s Al Ahly in June to open the Club World Cup, with potential clashes against Porto and Palmeiras on the horizon. A repeat of their performance against Vancouver could tarnish not only Messi’s legacy but also MLS’s progress toward becoming a serious global league.
For a league still trying to shed its “retirement home” image, the optics of its most high-profile team failing due to poor recruitment and ageing legs could be disastrous. Especially when teams like Vancouver are proving that youth, intensity, and smart tactics are the new formula for success in North American soccer.
MLS Must Choose Progress Over Nostalgia
Inter Miami’s situation is a wake-up call. The Messi moment was meant to elevate the league, but without strategic planning and youthful support, it risks backfiring. The Whitecaps, with their fearless running and smart coaching, demonstrated just how far behind Miami have fallen in a league that’s evolving rapidly.
Unless things change fast, Messi’s Miami chapter could end not in glory, but as a global embarrassment on the sport’s biggest club stages.
