Inter Miami dumped from Champions Cup by Monterrey, Lionel Messi booed: Takeaways

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami saw its dream of a continental trophy end on Wednesday night in Monterrey, Mexico, in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Liga MX power Monterrey overwhelmed Miami 3-1, leaving no doubt in the two-leg series that ended with an aggregate score of 5-2.

Miami went into the night fighting an uphill battle. They conceded two goals on their own field in the closing stages after falling to a man last week and therefore had to make up a deficit on the road.

A big mistake by goalkeeper Drake Callender who tried to play the ball out the back gave Monterrey forward Brandon Vazquez a goal in the first half. Monterrey broke the game open in the second half with goals from Germán Berterame in the 58th minute and Jesus Gallardo in the 64th.

The result means MLS has just one team in the semifinals of the CONCACAF tournament: the Columbus Crew, who defeated Tigres on penalties on Tuesday night. The winner of the Champions Cup will receive a place in next summer’s FIFA Club World Cup.

Miami, despite having four star players – Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – looked outmatched for much of the match by a Monterrey team with a lineup that was stronger from top to bottom.

“I don’t want to make excuses, I don’t want to come here and say that’s why we’re gone, but I think if you look at the two benches you get a pretty good idea of ​​what it’s like,” midfielder Julian Gressel said. “I hope that MLS will take the right steps to potentially have a deeper roster in the future so that you can compare a little more and give you a push for this league.”

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 past six years that MLS has had just one semifinalist.

The only other chance Messi and Inter Miami have of qualifying for the Club World Cup next year is to win the 2024 MLS Cup. MLS will have one final bid to host the tournament, and while FIFA has not announced how that spot will be determined, winning the championship is the most likely possibility.

Estadio BBVA rocked while Monterrey rolled

Estadio BBVA is one of the crown jewels of North American football, nestled in a valley in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range. The atmosphere there Wednesday almost certainly contributed to Miami’s downfall, even though they didn’t need much help. The Monterrey fans were completely bought throughout the match and the noise was deafening.

In Mexico, Messi does not enjoy the kind of universal admiration he experiences elsewhere in the world; there were very few Messi jerseys in sight and he was booed mercilessly throughout the match. Miami head coach Tata Martino drew even louder cheers when he was announced before the match: Martino led Mexico to an early crash at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

By the final whistle, the crowd had cranked up a few chants: “Messi se la come” (Messi can eat it) was the first. The second was a little less creative: they simply started chanting Cristiano Ronaldo’s name over and over again. Simple but effective.

“It’s something we were prepared for, to be honest,” Miami midfielder Julian Gressel said after the game. “This was a beautiful atmosphere, a great stadium, great fans, against a good team, and those are the nights you want to play. It’s an away game, that’s what you expect.”

There’s simply nothing like this type of environment in MLS. This is why playing in Mexico has always been so difficult for MLS sides. The size of the Estadio BBVA is clearly visible. The crowd is loud and the noise is intimidating. One bad touch and they’re in your head. Drake Callender found that out the hard way. – Pablo Maurer & Felipe Cardenas

Callender’s mistake in the first half put Miami even further behind (Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images)

Callender’s error 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 from the back, leading to goals and deficits.

On Tuesday evening that was Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte. He redeemed himself with two saves in the penalty shootout to lead the Crew to a victory.

Wednesday night it was Drake Callender.

¡Brandon Vazquez won 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 immediately end their chances that night. Trailing 2-1 going into the second leg, Inter Miami needed at least two goals if they were to win the home-and-home series.

But Callender’s blunder came just six minutes after Inter Miami’s best combination play in and around the Monterrey penalty area, 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 at the end of the first half.

However, the mistake proved fatal when Monterrey found the second goal in the 58th minute. – Paul Tenorio

Berterame’s shot from distance separated the sides (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Berterame’s missile put it out of range

As the olés began to sound through the stadium, there was a feeling that Monterrey’s second goal was coming. Inter Miami couldn’t keep possession of the ball and they were stretched thin looking for the equalizer.

All of these factors played a role in Berterame’s thunderous strike in the 58th minute that 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 infield, the ball found its way to the burly Argentine striker in ample space at the top of Inter Miami’s penalty area. Berterame had struggled to hit the ball cleanly for most of the match, but this time he made no mistake.

¡GOLAZO de German Berterame! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/MYlC0XqO3o

— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) April 11, 2024

His goal was a glimpse into why the Portland Timbers wanted to sign him in January for a reported $15 million. Monterrey were the clear winners of this situation. –Felipe Cardenas

A difference in team structure

Inter Miami had four legends in the starting line-up, but Monterrey proved over two legs that they are simply a much better team from top to bottom. The Liga MX side were sharper and more united in almost every respect whether playing at home or away, easily breaking Miami’s press when it happened and converting chances when the back four opened up.

Inter Miami clearly had adjustments to make, but Martino opted to make zero substitutions throughout the match – which he said after the match was a function of a young bench full of inexperienced players.

“The teams that have advanced (in the Champions Cup) are the teams with the best squads in Mexican football,” Martino said after the match. “I said recently that until MLS relaxes many (roster) rules to build more robust rosters, where player absences, injuries and suspensions are not as difficult to overcome, Liga MX will apparently have an advantage.”

The Columbus Crew are MLS’s last hope to overcome that advantage. –Alexander Abnos

(Photo: Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images)