Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami saw their continental trophy dream come to an end on Wednesday evening in Monterrey, Mexico, in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Liga MX powerhouse Monterrey defeated Miami 3-1, leaving no doubt in the home-and-away series that ended with an aggregate score of 5-2.
Miami entered the night fighting an uphill battle. They conceded two late goals at home after losing a goal last week and therefore had to make up a deficit on the road.
A big mistake by goalkeeper Drake Callender while trying to play from the back gifted Monterrey forward Brandon Vazquez a first-half goal. Monterrey opened the scoring in the second half with goals from Germán Berterame in the 58th minute and Jesus Gallardo in the 64th.
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Patrick Schulte leads Crew into CONCACAF semifinals
The result means MLS will have just one team in the semifinals of CONCACAF’s flagship tournament: the Columbus Crew, who beat the Tigres on penalties Tuesday night. The winner of the Champions Cup will earn a place in next summer’s FIFA Club World Cup.
Miami, despite having four star players – Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – seemed outmatched for much of the match by a Monterrey team fielding a stronger formation from top to bottom.
The loss continued MLS’s historic struggles in the tournament. Only one MLS team has won the tournament, the Seattle Sounders in 2022, and this year marks the fourth time in the last six years that MLS has only one semifinalist.
Now the only other chance for Messi and Inter Miami to qualify for next year’s Club World Cup is to win the 2024 MLS Cup. MLS will get one last bid as the tournament’s host nation, and Although FIFA has not announced how this spot will be decided, winning the league championship is the most likely possibility.
Estadio BBVA rocked as Monterrey rolled
Estadio BBVA is one of the jewels of North American soccer, nestled in a valley in the eastern Sierra Madre mountain range. The atmosphere there Wednesday almost certainly contributed to Miami’s loss, even if they didn’t need much help. The Monterrey fans were completely convinced throughout the match and the noise was deafening.
In Mexico, Messi does not enjoy the kind of universal adulation he enjoys elsewhere in the world; there were very few Messi shirts in sight and he was booed relentlessly throughout the match. Tata Martino, Miami’s head coach, received an even louder boo when it was announced before the game – Martino led Mexico to an early fall at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
At the final whistle, the crowd sang two chants: “Messi se la come” (Messi can eat it) was the first. The second was a little less creative: they just started chanting Cristiano Ronaldo’s name over and over again. Simple but effective.
There is simply nothing like this type of environment in MLS. This is why playing in Mexico has always been so difficult for MLS teams. The size of the Estadio BBVA is evident. The crowd is loud and the noise is intimidating. One bad contact, and they’re in your head. Drake Callender found out the hard way. – Pablo Maurer and Felipe Cárdenas
Callender’s mistake put Miami behind
Two straight days of MLS teams in Mexico needing a result to advance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, two straight days of goalkeepers making big mistakes trying to play out from the back, resulting in leads to goals and deficits.
Tuesday night, it was Columbus goaltender Patrick Schulte. He redeemed himself with two saves in the penalty shootout to lead the Crew to victory.
Wednesday night was Drake Callender.
Brandon Vazquez scores 1-0 for Rayados! 🤠 pic.twitter.com/uvDgLk8TlN
– Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) April 11, 2024
The goal may have deflated Inter Miami in the first half, but it didn’t directly end their chances that night. Trailing 2-1 going into the second leg, Inter Miami was going to need at least two goals if they wanted to win the home-and-away series.
But Callender’s error came just six minutes after Inter Miami’s best combination in and around the Monterrey box, with Messi sending a shot just over the crossbar. Inter needed some time to recover from the shock of the goal, although they had a few good looks late in the first half.
The mistake, however, proved fatal when Monterrey scored their second goal in the 58th minute. –Paul Tenorio
Berterame’s rocket put it out of range
As the olé began to echo through the stadium, there was a feeling that Monterrey’s second goal was coming. Inter Miami were unable to maintain possession and were straining in search of an equalizer.
All of these factors played a role in Berterame’s thunderous strike in the 58th minute, which made the score 2-0 and all but officially put the game out of Miami’s reach.
After a giveaway from Miami left-back Noah Allen led to right-back Chelo Weigandt being caught upfield, the ball headed to the sturdy Argentine center forward in plenty of space at the top of the Inter Miami penalty area. Berterame had struggled for most of the match to win the ball back, but he made no mistake this time.
GREAT GOAL from Germán Berterame! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/MYlC0XqO3o
– Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) April 11, 2024
His goal was to provide insight into why the Portland Timbers pushed to sign him for a reported $15 million in January. Monterrey was the clear winner in this what could have been situation. – Felipe Cardenas
(Photo: Azaël Rodriguez/Getty Images)