Whitecaps beat Messi and Miami in 1st leg of Champions Cup semifinal

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brian White and Sebastian Berhalter scored and the Vancouver Whitecaps beat Lionel Messi and Inter Miami 2-0 on Thursday night in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal.

The second leg is Wednesday night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The series winner will advance to the final against either Cruz Azul or Tigres UNAL on June 1.

Many in the record crowd of 53,837 at BC Place Stadium came to watch Messi. They weren’t disappointed when the Argentine superstar started the game and played the entire match. Joining him in the star-studded kickoff was Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, forward Luis Suarez of Uruguay and defender Jordi Alba from Spain.

Despite Miami’s star power, it was White who produced one of the loudest roars from the crowd when he headed a pass from Pedro Vite past goalkeeper Oscar Ustari in the 25th minute. Berhalter made it 2-0 in the 84th.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer