Whitecaps Stun Messi’s Inter Miami

The Whitecaps will take a 2-0 aggregate lead back to Florida after shutting down Inter Miami and Lionel Messi on Thursday night in the first leg of the teams' two-game, all-MLS semifinal series.

U.S. men's national team forward Brian White scored in the first half for the Canadian club in front of a sold-out crowd of 53,837 at BC Place, with Sebastian Berhalter adding a potentially backbreaking second goal with just five minutes of regular time remaining.

The decisive second contest will be played at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on May 1 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1), with a spot in the regional final against the winner of the other semi, between Mexican sides Cruz Azul and Tigres, on the line.

Miami must win by at least two goals next Wednesday just to take the home-and-home total-goals-wins series to extra time._Agencies.