Match Preview: Inter Miami vs Vancouver Whitecaps – on the precipice of history

Last weekend’s match against Miami was about as perfect of a performance as Whitecaps faithful could have hoped for. Two goals to the good, a shutout despite Messi, and all the big guns playing the full 90, and a raucous crowd that went home happy.

The issue, of course, is that the tie as a whole is far from over, as the ‘Caps now head down into the cauldron that is Chase Stadium in Florida. At about 4,500 km away it’s as long of a trip as you’re going to get in MLS, although somewhat mitigated by first heading to Minnesota for the weekend.

Vancouver certainly holds the clear edge going into the second leg (in large part due to not conceding any away goals), but they’ll need to be in top form if they’re to seal the deal and advance. Miami will almost certainly try and jump them from the first whistle, and being able to weather the initial storms will be paramount.

Both teams – as you would expect – clearly showed their prioritization of the Champions Cup in their weekend run-outs. Ranko Veselinović, Daniel Rios, and Yohei Takaoka were the only Whitecaps starters from leg one that also started against the Loons, although Sebastian Berhalter, Tate Johnson, Pedro Vite, and Ali Ahmed all did play key roles off the bench in the highly impressive second half performance.

On the side of Miami, none of their ex-Barcelona boys dressed for their match against Dallas, and even goalkeeper Oscar Ustari got the day off. Centre-back Maximiliano Falcón was the only starter from the first leg to start against Dallas, and he was taken out after 65 minutes.

That would seem to point to Javier Mascherano wanting a fairly similar lineup as to the one he trotted out last week, and Jesper Sørensen likely feels the same way. Really, given the form that a number of the Whitecaps’ players are in (plus the ones who remain on the shelf), most of the starting XI for this one more or less picks itself.

There are just a couple spots where I feel there are any questions as to who will get the nod to be in the XI. Left-back could maybe be one, although throwing Sam Adekugbe in for big minutes in this type of match is a risk with him just coming back from a sizeable spell on the sidelines, especially when Johnson has been playing so well as of late.

Really, the biggest decision is who will flank Brian White up front. It was Ahmed and Rios in the first leg, but both Jayden Nelson and Emmanuel Sabbi showed their effectiveness not only off the bench against Miami but also in the starting lineup against Minnesota.

While Rios has had his moments, starting two of Ahmed/Nelson/Sabbi adds a lot more pace and skillful directness to the counter-attacks, which could be crucial if the ‘Caps are to once again have less of the ball overall. Could Sørensen giving Nelson the hook halfway through the second half on Sunday, while Sabbi and Rios played the full 90, be a sign that the two Canadians will be tapped to start up top on Thursday night? We’ll have to wait and see.

As for the others, the midfield trio of Vite, Berhalter, and Andrés Cubas has been sublime, the centre-back partnership of Veselinović and Tristan Blackmon has been rock solid, and Édier Ocampo is certainly making the right-back spot his own. Takaoka didn’t have too much to do in the first leg, but will surely be counted on a little more in the second.

The magnitude of this match-up can certainly not be overstated. If the Whitecaps pull out the result, then they’ll have the chance to win a major trophy (other than the Canadian Championship) for the first time in their MLS history. And to make it there by knocking out Messi’s Miami (after previously taking down not one, but two Liga MX sides) would be the most impressive feat the club has accomplished in that time.

The ‘Caps do have some incentive to push for the win in not just the tie but also in the second leg on its own, as it’s the only way for them to have a chance of hosting the final. And even if they don’t win the second leg in the end, just getting one goal puts an incredible amount of pressure on Miami.

That’s not to say that they should throw caution to the wind with how much they thrust forward, but it shouldn’t be a night of pure bunkering either. Not that the Whitecaps have looked to do that under Sørensen to this point. They’ve been committed to their style of play, and well…it’s worked so far!