Tristan_blackmon_-_asn_top_-_vancouver_goal_vs._pumas_-_4-9-25
Morning update

Caps stun Pumas, Miami wins thriller over LAFC in CONCACAF; Miljevic remains hot for Huracan

It was a highly entertaining and thrilling night in the CONCACAF Champions Cup as Inter Miami and Vancouver booked semifinal spots while Matko Miljevic remained red hot for Huracan and Josh Wynder made his Benfica debut
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
April 10, 2025
11:00 AM

GOOD MORNING ASN readers and Thursday’ morning update come a bit later because Wednesday night was a day for the ages in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. There were two great games that came down to the wire, great players making great plays, and just overall good soccer.

The news from abroad was a little more limited but still important as Matko Miljevic remained on fire and Josh Wynder made his first team debut for Benfica.

Anyway, let’s start in Florida.

 

Miami epic rally past LAFC

 

After LAFC won the first leg at home over Inter Miami by a 1-0 scoreline, it gave them an advantage in the second leg since away goals were being used and Miami had none. Then when Aaron Long scored the opener for LAFC in Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday, it put Inter Miami in a situation where they would need to win by two and score at least three goals.

That is when Lionel Messi and friends took over. The Argentine great equalized the game in the 35th minute with an amazing build up pass, a run, and then a shot after getting the ball back.  

But Inter Miami still needed to score two more goals and hold LAFC off the board the rest of the way in the second half.

Miami scored again when a Noah Allen chip into the box for Federico Redondo got past Hugo Lloris although it isn’t clear if Allen or Redondo got the last touch.

From there, it seemed like only a matter of time before Miami would find a way but the luck started breaking for LAFC when a Luis Suarez goal was called back for offside and LAFC still had the edge heading into the 84th minute.

But Inter Miami finally took control when a long handball was judged by VAR to be a penalty and it set up a Messi vs. Lloris chance from the spot. Messi went to the right with a soft but accurate shot and Lloris was frozen.

But LAFC did not give up and had chances for another goal that would have given them the series win. One of Miami’s big players on the day turned out to be goalkeeper Oscar Ustari who made a big save on Denis Bouanga in stoppage time that ensured the victory.

Here are a few thoughts.

 

Messi was incredible

 

This is a boring statement because you can say this just about after every one of his games. But even after Long scored, it seemed like Messi was not going to let his team lose. They needed three goals, he was going to find them three goals. Javier Mascherano spoke about how motivated his team was, and that can be cliché, but there came a point in the first half when Miami found its rhythm that it was obvious that they really wanted to win this.


“He’s a guy who has already done everything in football, he’s the greatest in history and he continues to set an example of how to compete,” said Mascherano. “Until the last day he plays on a pitch he’s going to want to win and he’s going to do the impossible to win. And it’s not just about wanting to, you also have to be able to, and he has that ability.”

Messi didn’t win MLS Cup last season and Miami was outclassed by Monterrey in the Champions Cup (only to see Columbus oust Monterrey the next round). He wasn’t going to come to Miami just to score goals, he wants to win big game. This was one of his biggest games for Miami since his arrival.

The mark of a great player is when you know he’s going to do something special when his back is against the wall, and there is nothing the other team can do to stop it.

 

Mascherano better than expected

 

I was skeptical of the Mascherano hire for Inter Miami. He was not a good coach for Argentina’s youth teams after failing twice with the U-20 team and not impressing with the Olympic team. But he’s rotating the Inter Miami team well, he’s getting young players to contribute with the older stars, and he is keeping a positive environment. This was a game where it was just important for Miami to stay positive and give players chances to work their magic.

“We wanted more and we ended up achieving it,” said Mascherano. “This time, the reality is that for a comeback like this, luck often has to be on your side—and it was. But that’s also what this sport is about, that’s why fútbol is so beautiful, because in fútbol, chance plays a bigger role than in other sports. And well, this time the coin landed on our side. On a day like today, I’m happy and I want to thank the players for their effort, because despite the difficulties, despite conceding a goal in the first 5 minutes and having the tie stacked against us, they believed—they believed they could turn it around, and they showed it. So this victory is all theirs, and I’m grateful to them.”

Right now, Miami is in a good spot to win this title under Marscherano. Meanwhile, the club is not struggling in the league despite going on this run.

 

Concerns mount for LAFC

 

It will be a long trip back home to California for LAFC knowing they had Miami on the ropes but couldn’t deliver a knockout. Yes, luck did not go their way but there is a lot more to it than that. Bouanga had the chance to win it late but could not finish an open shot in the box off a counterattack. As one of the league’s best goal scorers ever, he doesn’t have any league goals in MLS yet.

Big players must make big plays in big games. That is a problem for LAFC. They were in the position to deliver and didn’t. LAFC is not even close to its potential yet which is good and bad. They could be very good, but there is also something wrong. They need to fix it soon before the MLS season gets away from them.

 

Vancouver wins thriller

 

Not many people gave Vancouver much of a shot to get past Pumas after surrendering a late equalizer in the first leg at home in a 1-1 draw. Yes, they got past Monterrey in similar fashion but doing it against another good Liga MX team seemed a bridge too far.

But this Vancouver team is exceeding all expectations both in CONCACAF and in MLS and new head coach Jesper Sorensen is doing a great job having the team playing so well even after DP attacker Ryan Gauld went down with an injury.

Vancouver made a big statement early when Sebastian Berhalter opened the scoring in the 33rd minute after the Whitecaps were struggling early in the game. On the play, he made a great run into the box, took a Daniel Rios pass, and finished with a backheel from his right. It was an exquisite bit of skill from the son of the former U.S. World Cup defender and head coach.

 

The lead did not last long after Pumas equalized off a corner just minutes later.

The second half was mostly Vancouver defending successfully until Ignacio Pussetto put Pumas up 2-1 in the 88th minute.

But Vancouver’s response was tremendous and given the away goals rule, just one goal would put the Caps past Pumas and into the semifinal.

In the final minutes, Vancouver kept pushing and pushing and eventually the biggest goal in club history happened via Tristan Blackmon.



Vancouver has now gone to Mexico for second legs after failing to win at home and has found a way to advance both times.

 

Sorensen developing Caps players

 

Jesper Sorensen is doing a great job for a Vancouver team that is in first place in the Western Conference and has now gone through two Liga MX teams to advance to the CONCACAF semifinal. All this has come with Ryan Gauld injured.

But it’s important to note how well Sorensen is getting his players to play on an individual basis. Sebastian Berhalter is a great example. He’s always been a decent player and last season he eclipsed the 2000-minute mark for the first time in his career. But he’s never been a U.S. youth international and was never in consideration for the Olympic team last year (despite being age-eligible). Right now, he’s playing at a much higher level than he’s ever been before. If he was at this level last year, he might have featured in Paris for the Olympic team.

This year, he’s made six CONCACAF starts and seven MLS starts – facing top teams in MLS and Liga MX. Vancouver has only lost once and that came against a Chicago team coached by his father. The future is very exciting for Berhalter right now.

But it’s not just Berhalter, Triston Blackmon, Tate Johnson, and Canadians Jeevan Badwal and Ralph Priso who are also showing a lot of progress.

 

Now heading to Miami
 

Vancouver now has two weeks until they host Inter Miami for the first leg of this semifinal. On paper, it favors Miami, but Vancouver should feel confident that they can pull the upset. They’re younger, they’re enthusiastic, and they have momentum. The truth is that Miami needed luck to get past LAFC and Vancouver has more lethal forwards right now than LAFC. Inter Miami can be vulnerable at the back.

It would be an upset to beat Miami, but it’s not out of the question that Vancouver finds a way.

 

Miljevic shines in Sudamericana

 

Matko Miljevic, 23, is one of the most in-form American players in the early part of April. This past Saturday, Miljevic scored two goals for Huracán in a 3-3 tie with Aldosivi in Argentina’s Liga Profesional. Now on Wednesday, he notched three assists in a 5-0 win over Uruguay’s Racing in the Copa Sudamericana.



We know Mauricio Pochettino is following Miljevic after he called him up for January camp. But if Pochettino liked him in 2024, he will really like him in 2025 as Miljevic has been excellent.

The question is whether there is room. If Miljevic is a No. 10, he must compete with Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, Diego Luna, and Malik Tillman. But if he can play outside, he might have a better chance.

 

Wynder makes Benfica debut

 

United States U-20 central defender Josh Wynder, 19, made his debut as a 76th minute sub for Benfica in its 5-0 win over fourth-tier Tirsense in the first leg of the Portuguese cup semifinals. There wasn’t too much to take away as Benfica were dominant, but it is a good sign that Wynder is progressing nicely.

 

Reyna subs into Dortmund’s ugly loss

 

Gio Reyna is the last American player left in the Champions League, but that appears to be nearly over after Borussia Dortmund were demolished by Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of its quarterfinal. Reyna came into the game for the final 22 minutes and played decently, although Barcelona was just seeing the game out by this point.

Meanwhile, Reyna should be on the move this summer as he looks to play regularly for the first time in years.

 

 

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