As Inter Miami look to maintain their spot atop the eastern conference it will be a tough road as they travel to Vancouver to face the Whitecaps without Lionel Messi, Lusi Suarez, and Sergio Busquets. While the trio aren't injured, they'll be sitting out an away match on turf before a critical midweek match against Atlanta United. In managing his stars, Tata Martino does have to do things like this during the season, but it does create issues when BC Place was expected to be sold out for the match.
Vancouver actually released a statement on the absence of Miami's stars due to this being a club record crowd expected.
"While we haven't received an official update on the availability of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets for this weekend, we understand they will not make this trip. Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent, and it was important for us to communicate to our fans as soon as possible," said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC CEO.
"We always want our best players going up against our opponent's best players, and facing players of the highest pedigree was especially exciting for our team. We know that there will also be a lot of disappointed fans. We remain committed to making this a special experience for everyone. It is still going to be an incredible atmosphere and celebration of soccer for our city. We have amazing fans, we have a good team, and Saturday's match is a very important home game for us."
The Whitecaps will provide food for 50 percent off and give kids under 18 a free meal combo but when ticket prices rise due to fans expecting to see Messi, even food won't offset the financial losses with some tickets.
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, May 25 | Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
- Location: BC Place -- Vancouver, British Columbia
- TV: None | Live stream: MLS Season Pass
- Odds: Vancouver Whitecaps -155; Draw +300; Inter Miami +400
Storylines
Vancouver Whitecaps: Despite the lack of Miami's stars, there is still soccer to be played. The Whitecaps are in a playoff position in the Western Conference, but barely so as they've been quite average this season. Brian White has been in good form scoring five goals and assisting two more, but more of the attack needs to step up to assist him in making the team tick. Miami's defense is vulnerable so this is a winnable game.
Inter Miami: When Messi and Suarez haven't played, all eyes have been on Leonardo Campana and the defense. With Benjamin Cremaschi back in the fold, this is a deeper Inter Miami than earlier in the season, but they're also coming off their first stretch of the season without scoring a goal in two consecutive games. If that continues, worry will grow of if they can keep up pace in the Supporters' Shield.
Prediction
Backed by their home fans the Whitecaps will secure a signature win this season behind Brian White. Pick: Vancouver Whitecaps 3, Inter Miami 1
