Inter Miami’s unbeaten streak ends in Champions Cup
LAFC nipped the Herons 1-0 Wednesday in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals. It was the defending Supporters Shield holders’ first loss of any kind in 2025.
LAFC forward Denis Bouanga, 99, and Inter Miami CF defender Gonzalo Lujan battle for a loose ball during a Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match Wednesday in Los Angeles. Photo: The Associated Press/Mark J. Terrill
Black & Gold take Cup lead
LAFC beat Inter Miami 1-0 Wednesday, ending the Herons’ nine-game, season-opening unbeaten streak but not its quest to win the coveted Concacaf Champions Cup.
Nathan Ordaz scored the game’s only goal in the 57th minute in Los Angeles and LAFC’s densely packed defense frustrated Inter Miami’s attack most of the match. The team’s will play the second leg of the home-and-away quarterfinal tie at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale.
Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi kicks the ball past the out-stretched leg of LAFC forward Nathan Ordaz. Ordaz scored the only goal Wednesday in a 1-0 Champions Cup quarterfinal win. Photo: The Associated Press/Mark J. Terrill
LAFC smothers Messi & Co.
Lionel Messi played the entire match, but for the first time failed to produce a goal contribution in Concacaf play (after recording five goals and two assists in his previous six Cup matches).
Messi managed five shots, two on target, but Hugo Lloris saved them both.
“I think (Messi) always had a black jersey in front of him.”
— LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo
LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo credited his team’s defensive effort for the win.
“I think (Messi) always had a black jersey in front of him, and that’s the point,” he said. “You can’t always defend him, nor can you always shut down Jordi Alba, (Sergio) Busquets, (Luis) Suárez. … Those guys are going to get a chance or two, and the only way to defend players of that quality and teams of that quality is with a collective effort.”
The red card that wasn’t
A controversial first-half yellow card will haunt the Herons, although it’s impossible to know how the call — or non-call, as Ordaz’ foul on Maxi Falcon appeared to merit a red card and expulsion — might have influenced the match’s outcome. The eventual goalscorer would have been off the pitch and Miami would have enjoyed a man advantage for more than half the contest.
“When you hit a player aggressively without the ball, that is a red card here, in China and on the moon.”
— Mascherano
The foul occurred when Ordaz ran into Falcon and struck him in the face with his elbow; the contact appeared to be intentional and the ball was not involved in the play. The referee reviewed the incident on VAR but did not change his ruling, to Mascherano’s disbelief.
“We all saw what happened,” he said. “It was clear, and that is not open to interpretation. When you hit a player aggressively without the ball, that is a red card here, in China and on the moon.”
Cherundolo, naturally, saw the play differently.
“There’s contact, (and) there’s contact prior to that from the opposing player,” he said. “I applaud the decision not to send guys off the field, and I would say the same thing if it was the reverse, if it was a Miami player in question.”
Game of the Year?
The rematch next week may not be Inter Miami’s most important game of the year, but it undoubtedly is the Herons’ most important match so far. Led by Messi and his former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez — all among the best players ever to play their positions — the Pink & Black set an MLS record for points in a season (74), earning the Supporters Shield presented to the league’s best regular-season side. But they failed to reach the semifinals of either the Concacaf Champions Cup or Liga MX/MLS Leagues Cup and suffered a stunning first-round MLS Cup Playoffs loss to ninth-seeded Atlanta United.
The Herons’ 2024 season, very good if not great by most standards, was merely disappointing for Inter Miami’s highly ambitious ownership and supremely talented roster.
With a new coach, arguably even better talent and clearly greater depth, the Herons started the new year 8-0-1 — 13-0-1 if preseason friendlies are included. Being eliminated in the Champions Cup quarterfinals for a second-straight year would be a huge setback.
“I believe that we can do the right things to (get) through.
— IMCF coach Javier Mascherano”
Herons’ skipper Javier Mascherano said he wasn’t surprised or discouraged by LAFC’s win.
“It was a game that we expected,” he said. “We know LA. They have good players, and they have players in front that can (make) the difference. But I think we controlled them almost all the game in a good way.
“Obviously, we didn’t have the best night tonight,” he continued, “but in the end, it’s the first leg. We have the next game next week, and we will see. I believe that we can do the right things to (get) through.”
Away goals trap
Whichever team scores the most total goals in the two matches will face their Major League Soccer rivals, the Vancouver Whitecaps, or Pumas UNAM of Mexico’s top division, Liga MX. The Whitecaps and Pumas tied 1-1 in their first leg.
The away-goals tie-breaker complicates matters for Inter Miami. If the Herons beat LAFC 1-0 in next week’s match, the teams will play two 15-minute extra-time periods; if the teams remain tied, a penalty shootout will decide the outcome.
BUT, if Inter Miami wins 2-1, leaving the aggregate score tied 2-2, LAFC advances because it would have scored an away goal.
So, Inter Miami needs to win by at least two goals to ensure a spot in the semifinals.
Concacaf Champions Cup
The other quarterfinal matches this week ended in ties: on Tuesday, L.A.’s other team, the Galaxy, and Tigres played to a scoreless tie, as did Club America and Cruz Azul.
Quarterfinal winners will meet in the two-leg semifinals at the end of the month, with a one-game final scheduled June 1.