Messi, Inter Miami shut down 1-0 by LAFC in first leg of Champions Cup quarterfinal

Los Angeles is a city of stars, so it was only fitting that Lionel Messi was back in the Inter Miami starting lineup for the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal against LAFC late Wednesday night and that the stadium suites were packed with celebrities.

Among the familiar faces who showed up at BMO Stadium for the highly anticipated match were Golden State Warriors Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green; the Ted Lasso cast; singers Lionel Richie, Kali Uchis, Fuerza Regida and Becky G; L.A. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford; actor Jaime Camil; MMA fighter Chuck Liddell; Kendall Jenner; and Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni.

But it was not Messi or Miami’s other marquee names who came up big on this night. It was 21-year-old LAFC forward Nathan Ordaz, who escaped a red card and scored a second half goal to secure a 1-0 win for the home team in the first game of the two-leg series.

It was Miami’s first loss in 10 games under new coach Javier Mascherano and he did not mince words when asked whether the outcome of the game was influenced by Ordaz receiving a yellow card instead of a red when he struck Miami defender Maxi Falcon in the face in the first half. The referee went to video replay and opted for the yellow.

“We all saw what happened, it was clear, and that is not open to interpretation,” Mascherano said. “When you hit a player aggressively without the ball, that is a red card here, in China and on the moon.”

The second and deciding leg of the series will be April 9 in Fort Lauderdale. Miami will be without Sergio Busquets, who is suspended for yellow card accumulation.

“It’s a huge loss,” Mascherano said of Busquets. “We all know everything he means for this team, not only on the field, but his knowledge of the game and how he helps his teammates. But we will try to find a way to make up for his absence and focus on trying to give the players the tools they need to have a good game and advance to the semifinals.”

Messi had returned to action against the Philadelphia Union over the weekend after recovering from an adductor strain and scored the game-winning goal two minutes after entering the field. The Argentine captain took two free kicks in the first half against L.A., but one sailed high and the other was saved by LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, the French World Cup winner.

Miami dominated possession in the first half, got big defensive plays from Yannick Bright, and a few saves from Oscar Ustari, but the score remained tied 0-0 at intermission.

It appeared LAFC would go down a man at the 26-minute mark after Ordaz’s contact with Falcon. Referee Oshane Nation checked video replay and chose to give Ordaz a yellow card rather than a red.

“I applaud the decision, and I would say the same thing if it was a Miami player,” said LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo. “There had been contract prior to that from the other player, [the foul] was not very clear. There didn’t appear to be intent to injure, so we should keep those players on the field as much as we can.”

Cherundolo stuck with Ordaz in the second half, and it proved a good decision. The 21-year-old forward, who came up through LAFC’s academy, scored in the 57th minute when he took advantage of gaps in the Miami back line. Miami has improved its defense under Mascherano this season, but at that moment, they looked vulnerable.

Apr 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; LAFC forward Nathan Ordaz (27) scores a goal during the second half of a Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinal match against Inter Miami CF at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles defense did a good job containing Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Telasco Segovia. They saw black jerseys everywhere they turned and were unable to string together sequences of passes as they had thus far this season.

“Our game plan was perfect,” said L.A. defender Ryan Hollingshead. “Obviously, they have a lethal attack with Messi, Suarez, and Busquets in there dictating play. They’re as good as it gets in this league. We tried to frustrate them by clogging spaces in the middle. We limited their chances big time. Their best chances were on set pieces. We have to do that again next week in Miami.”

Mascherano remained optimistic that Miami can overcome the one goal deficit in the aggregate two-game series.

“It was an even game between two good teams, we had some chances, but not clear chances,” Mascherano said. “We did not have our best night, but we have to accept the loss. It was just the first leg. Next week we will be at home with our fans. I believe we can get through to the semifinals.”

Joining Messi in the Starting XI were: Ustari, Gonzalo Lujan, Falcon, Noah Allen, Alba, Bright, Busquets, Fafa Picault, Segovia, and Suarez. Fafa (who is going by his first name) started for injured Tadeo Allende.

Ustari, the 38-year-old goalkeeper, left the Philadelphia game with cramps with four minutes to go, and was replaced by Drake Callender. But Mascherano said on Tuesday that Ustari felt fine.

Callender was on the bench along with Rocco Rios Novo, Marcelo Weigandt, Ian Fray, Toto Aviles, Julian Gressel, Fede Redondo, Benja Cremaschi, Santi Morales, Robert Taylor and Leo Afonso. In the 67th minute, down 1-0, Cremaschi went in for Segovia and Robert Taylor replaced Fafa. Redondo replaced Bright at the 81 minute mark.

The winner of the home-and-home series advances to meet either Vancouver Whitecaps or Pumas UNAM in the semifinals of the tournament. Those teams tied 1-1 in the first leg Wednesday.

LAFC made the Champions Cup finals in 2020 and 2023 and beat the Columbus Crew 4–2 on aggregate in the Round of 16 last month. Denis Bouanga, the MLS Golden Boot winner in 2023 and co-runner-up with Messi and Luis Suarez last season, scored three of L.A.’s four goals against the Crew.

Bouanga, a native of France who represents Gabon internationally, earned the Champions Cup Golden Boot and Best XI honors in the 2023 tournament.

Despite a roster that includes Bouanga, and French World Cup stars Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris, LAFC has been inconsistent so far this year. They had won just two of their previous six games, and one of them was against last place Sporting Kansas City.

Miami returns to Chase Stadium Sunday night for a league game against Toronto FC.

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Messi, Inter Miami shut down 1-0 by LAFC in first leg of Champions Cup quarterfinal

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