Vancouver Whitecaps FC can't stop producing magic.
The Western Conference leaders electrified BC Place in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal against Inter Miami CF, jumping out to a 2-0 aggregate lead behind goals from Brian White and Sebastian Berhalter.
In front of a boisterous club-record crowd of 53,837 fans, head coach Jesper Sørensen's side couldn't have put on a much better show.
"It was great and amazing evening and amazing atmosphere, playing in an amazing stadium for great fans and everybody coming out," Sørensen said post-match. "It was exciting, obviously. If you can't be excited about a night like tonight, then it's difficult."
Mammoth defensive effort
Perhaps as important as the two-goal lead, the Whitecaps managed to keep Inter Miami off the scoresheet and deny them what would have been a crucial away goal.
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami's star-studded attack were held to just nine total shots, with only two testing goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, as the Whitecaps proved relentless in their resolve to win every 50-50 ball.
"It's difficult when you lose the duels, you know?" Miami head coach Javier Mascherano pointed out. "It was difficult for us to win the duels. So at the end, football is this, no? When you play against a player, you have to win the duels. If not, it's difficult to beat the team."
For Sørensen, the defensive performance demonstrated that his side is more than just their high-flying offense, which has been one of the league's best thus far in 2025.
"I think it's fair to say that a lot of people who have seen us play have been happy with the attack... but we've been a good defensive team," said Sørensen. "We also showed that today – that even when the way we would like to play doesn't really work, and we make too many bad passes, and we lose the ball way too easy, then we can still rely on our structure and rely on our defense side."
Added Berhalter: "Just the resilience, the character, the fight to keep going. We talked about this all week; we know we can do this. This is not a surprise to us."
All still to play for
This was a landmark win for Vancouver. But it's just the first half. They'll now travel to Chase Stadium next Wednesday for a second leg that will still be incredibly difficult, even with the two-goal aggregate advantage.
"Got one more game," said Berhalter. "We can't get ahead of ourselves. Thank the fans for coming out here and making an incredible atmosphere, but we've got one more game so we gotta take care of business."
Miami certainly won't hold anything back. They've made Champions Cup a priority this season, and in touching distance of yet another final with their historically loaded roster, Mascherano said they'll go all-in on overturning the deficit.
"Nothing to lose, you know, nothing to lose," he said. "We have to try to win the game. We know that we have to score at least two goals and don't concede. And we will try to do it. Now, maybe the pressure is for Vancouver. They have to keep the result."
For the city
Few predicted the Whitecaps to be at the top of the West and playing for a spot in the CCC final before the season began.
But as they continue to defy expectations, they look determined to deliver even more magical moments at BC Place.
"We're happy to be in Vancouver. Everybody is enjoying it here," Sørensen said. "... We're happy to play in Vancouver. We're happy to play for the fans in Vancouver. We're happy to play for Vancouver."
