Under the haze of Miami’s spring moon, music blared long after the final whistle outside Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s buses. Grasping well-earned beverages and rejoicing in the company of partners and children, it’s a jubilant moment the squad and its staff won’t soon forget.
It all came just after the Whitecaps knocked off Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF with a 3-1 win in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal at Chase Stadium, securing a 5–1 victory on aggregate and advancing to a continental final for the first time in the club’s 51-year history.
“It’s great for everybody in the club, for the fans, and maybe we can also rally the city of Vancouver behind this team even more,” first-year head coach Jesper Sørensen said after the match, enjoying a debut season he couldn’t have dreamed of. “I’m very happy for the players and for everybody working in the club, and for our fans that we get this moment.”
Post-match dance moves from Pedro Vite, Andres Cubas and several kids may have sent the club into the night, but the levity in the parking lot came after a fierce matchup. However, nobody could have guessed that, given the energy the players had.
