When the final whistle blew in Qatar, Lionel Messi fell to his knees in a state of catharsis. It took a penalty shootout against France, but he had finally led Argentina to a FIFA World Cup title, one of the few trophies he’d not won through his career.

The Vancouver Whitecaps will take a 2-0 aggregate lead back to Fort Lauderdale after shutting down Inter Miami and Lionel Messi in the first leg of the teams' two-game, all-MLS Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal series.

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano didn’t mince words Wednesday. He referred to the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal versus Vancouver as Miami’s most important match in club history.