Inter Miami Eliminated From CONCACAF Champions Cup

Estadio BBVA – Inter Miami was eliminated from CONCACAF Champions Cup after a 3-1 loss to CF Monterrey in the second round of their quarterfinals matchup. Rayados dominated the series with a 5-2 aggregate advantage on goals, moving on to the semifinals. Brandon Vazquez, German Berterame, and Jesus Gallardo scored for Monterrey while Diego Gomez headed in Miami’s lone score.

Starting XI

Inter Miami played in a 5-3-2 formation to face FC Monterrey, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez headlining the two-man attack up front. Diego Gomez, Sergio Busquets, and Julian Gressel lined up in midfield. Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Nicolas Freire, Tomas Aviles, and Marcelo Weigandt formed the backline.

Starting XI in a 5-3-2 formation with the Goat 🐐 Lionel #Messi & the legend @LuisSuarez9 leading the attack

Tata wants to win the midfield so Lionel & Luis can do what they do best, score goals #InterMiamiCF #MLS #ConcacafChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/Nkffr7vly6

— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) April 11, 2024

Match Action

Inter Miami came into the match down 2-1 on aggregate and looked to score early, but Monterrey bagged the goal first to extend their lead. Drake Callender committed a terrible blunder while trying to play a ball out to Sergio Busquets. His pass was intercepted in the box by Brandon Vazquez who took advantage of the gift sending the ball to the back of the Miami net.

Terrible mistake by Drake Callender leads to the easy Brandon Vazquez score… 1-0 Monterey… The mountain ⛰️ just got harder to climb…#MLS #InterMiamiCF #ConcacafChampionsCup

pic.twitter.com/3dCEn2Mvyq

— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) April 11, 2024

Fortunately for Miami, the first half would end only down 1-0. The second half was different as a barrage of goals were scored. German Berterame boomed a rocket into the upper left section of Miami’s goal while Drake Callender watched helplessly.

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

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

The game was slipping away from the Herons and Monterrey would not let up. Diego Gomez made another silly mistake on a short pass out of pressure that Rayados stole and turned into their third score of the match.

¡Jesús Gallardo pone 3-0 el marcador para Monterrey! ⚽ pic.twitter.com/XLqfEeGWPC

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

Rayados led 3-0 and had the match under total control and their place in the next round was guaranteed. The Herons got a goal of honor back in the 85th minute as Diego Gomez headed a Lionel Messi service into the Rayados net. Too little, too late, as Miami was eliminated from Champion Cup 2024.

Post Game

Julian Gressel was interviewed on the sidelines after the tough loss and had this to say about the match,

We made some mistakes that cost us the tie, unfortunate, hopefully we’ll learn from it

If Inter Miami hopes to win an MLS Title or defend their Leagues Cup crown, the silly mistakes must be addressed. The Herons cannot keep shooting themselves in the foot and expect to win any trophies.

Final Thoughts

Messi and the Fantastics were pretty average Wednesday night versus FC Monterrey. Rayados had a well-planned and executed defensive low block that stifled Miami’s attack. For some reason, the Herons often suffer defensively when playing a 5-3-2 formation.

Drake Callender’s blunder seemed to come when he was trying to force a pass to Sergio Busquets. It appears that the Herons look to force the ball to Busquets and Messi way too often. The other players on the team need to play freely without feeling the obligation to defer to Messi and the Fantastics.

Inter Miami now must focus on the MLS title and Leagues Cup moving forward, their CONCACAF Champions Cup run is over. Despite the disappointment, there are still possibilities of making this a successful season for the organization. Inter Miami is under the microscope as are the coach and all the players because of the high expectations of having big-name stars. It’s going to be fun seeing how the rest of the season plays out.