🏆 Vancouver Whitecaps show there is no 'easy route' in CCC - even for Inter Miami
Jesper Sørensen was fired from Brondby the day after the CCC draw, which shows just how much things can change.
Remember the jokes after the draw? The ‘Concacaf rigged it for Messi’ debate?
Back then, everyone expected this semifinal series to have an eau de El Clásico, sketches of Spain with Messi leading Miami into Monterrey with revenge on the mind after Monterrey eliminated the Herons from this competition, with Sergio Ramos captaining Rayados.
But when the balls were drawn on December 10, practically no one in North America had heard of Jesper Sørensen, a Danish manager hours away from being sacked as Brondby coach after a first-leg cup defeat. They turned the tie around without him, but it looks like they sold their stock too soon in a manager who understands who to get out of a cup tie.
After all, Sørensen has engineered comebacks in the Concacaf Champions Cup after the Whitecaps lost in the first leg of the First Round against Saprissa, then drew 1-1 in the first leg of both the Round of 16 tie with Monterrey and the quarterfinals against Pumas. Draws in the second legs on the road were enough to put them through on away goals but also serve as a reminder that nothing is safe in this tournament.
“We know we have a lead but also have seen in many games that can be a little fragile,” Sørensen said Tuesday. “The last two times we’ve been away in the second leg, we knew we had to go out and at least score and produce a result. I think it has to be a very balanced approach.”
By now, it’s clear that the Vancouver Whitecaps aren’t an easy out for anyone - and certainly not for Messi and Inter Miami. The ‘Caps go into Chase Stadium tonight holding a 2-0 advantage.
It’s bigger than the edge that LAFC had in the quarterfinals at kickoff, but LA earned a 2-0 aggregate advantage with an early Aaron Long goal before two goals from Messi and one from Federico Redondo put Inter Miami into the semifinals.
“We are close, but still far away,” Sørensen noted. “We’d rather be here with a 2-0 lead than the other times we’ve been here with a 1-1 draw, but we also know we’re up against a good team where a lot of stuff can happen in 95 or even 120 minutes if we have to go that way.”
Some sort of extra-time heroics by Messi or Luis Suarez or another legend in a pink shirt may lead to more jibes about things being set up for Inter Miami. Yet, their path has not been easy, with Sørensen’s Whitecaps far outperforming expectations and standing in their own right as a team worthy of being called one of the best in the region.
A happy mood in Mexico City
Meanwhile, Cruz Azul feels it has the upper-hand as the home team in the second leg - and unlike Inter Miami a home team that needs just one goal - or a scoreless draw - to go through after a 1-1 draw with Tigres in the first leg.
Maybe manager Vicente Sanchez is just happy to be playing again, with the rest of his Liga MX Liguilla rivals, but he was in a surprisingly good mood Wednesday.
“The feeling is happiness, joy, a lot of hope to secure that passage to the final,” Sanchez said. “It’s going to be a lovely game to watch, and we’re really happy to be able to define the series at home with the support of our fans.
“We’re very happy and very prepared for the game.”
La Maquina know that Tigres, too, will have utilized their time wisely, also able to focus entirely on the second leg thanks to the Liga MX play-in meaning neither team had a league game.
Asked about the mood, midfielder Charly Rodriguez said they wouldn’t rest until tomorrow night but are confident in their game plan and in being more comfortable in Mexico City.
“I think at the end the calmness will come if you win the game. We’ve got an away goal, but it’s just one goal, so I think we’re going to go out and push, look for the victory from the very start,” Rodriguez said. “They’ll do it too, being the team they are. They like to attack, so it’ll be just as intense as the first leg, a game defined by small details, so we have to all be at our best to get the victory.”
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