Watch out, Lionel Messi.
Here come the Vancouver Whitecaps.
On Wednesday night, both Inter Miami (in somewhat convincing fashion) and the Vancouver Whitecaps (in less-convincing fashion with a stoppage time goal) advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. The two will square off in a two-leg showdown between MLS clubs for a spot in the tournament’s final.
With all due respect to Messi and Inter Miami — who were expected to be Major League Soccer’s premiere club — Vancouver’s run in the regional club tournament has been more impressive. Vancouver has knocked off two storied Liga MX clubs, getting the results it needed on the road to advance. MLS teams traditionally have been hot garbage in games played in Mexico. Vancouver has bucked that trend by eliminating 2021 Concacaf Champions League winners Monterrey in the Round of 16 before stunning Pumas in the quarterfinals.
The Vancouver Whitecaps also have stepped up their game in league play, pacing the Western Conference as Supporters’ Shield leaders. This has come as a bit of a surprise. The team fired coach Vanni Sartini after a 2024 season in which the Whitecaps qualified for the MLS playoffs and won the Canadian Championship. Jesper Sørensen has taken over the reigns and the Whitecaps have stormed out of the gates in 2025, all while the club’s future in Vancouver is unclear.
So, mark your calendars for April 24 and April 30, when Vancouver and Miami vie for a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup final on June 1.
MLS Matchday 8: What are this weekend’s games?
(All games available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.)
Saturday
- Toronto FC vs. Minnesota United FC, 2:30 p.m. ET
- Atlanta United vs. New England Revolution, 2:45 p.m. ET
- Orlando City SC vs. New York Red Bulls, 4:30 p.m. ET
- D.C. United vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. ET
- CF Montréal vs. Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- New York City FC vs. Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Austin FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Nashville SC vs. Real Salt Lake, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Colorado Rapids vs. San Diego FC, 9:30 p.m. ET
- LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo FC, 10:30 p.m. ET
- Los Angeles FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 10:30 p.m. ET
Sunday
- Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers, 2:15 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Chicago Fire FC vs. Inter Miami CF, 4:30 p.m. ET
- St. Louis City SC vs. Columbus Crew, 7 p.m. ET
MLS game of the week: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Austin FC
- Date and time: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV/streaming info: MLS Season Pass
Vancouver follows up its stunning Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal run with an intriguing showdown against Austin FC. While Whitecaps sit in first place in the Western Conference, Austin FC enters MLS Matchday 8 in fourth. Brian White is the player to watch, as the striker is on the radar of USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, who called in the striker for the Concacaf Nations League finals last month.
Like Vancouver, Austin is operating under a new coach, Nico Estévez, who replaced Josh Wolff, who coached the team in its first four seasons. As Austin waits for newcomer Brandon Vázquez to start scoring more goals, goalkeeper Brad Stuver has kept the team in games by recording four clean sheets in the season’s first seven games.
Where can you watch MLS games?
All Major League Soccer games air on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Some select games are available for free on Apple TV and viewers only need an Apple ID to watch.
In a major push to reach more viewers this season, Comcast Xfinity and DirecTV customers can subscribe and watch MLS Season Pass through the TV providers, while T-Mobile users will be able to access MLS Season Pass for free.
FOX Sports will air select games on linear television. This week, Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers airs on FOX.
Concacaf Champions Cup bracket
Here’s your 52-second read on the latest Concacaf Champions Cup happenings …
There will be an all-Major League Soccer semifinal in the Concacaf Champions Cup, as Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will face the surprising Vancouver Whitecaps.
Here’s what went down in the quarterfinals:
- Inter Miami defeated Los Angeles FC, 3-2 on aggregate
- Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Pumas, 3-3 on aggregate (Vancouver advanced via away-goal tiebreaker)
- Tigres defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy, 3-2 on aggregate
- Cruz Azul defeated Club America, 2-1 on aggregate
Here’s the semifinal schedule:
- April 23: Tigres vs. Cruz Azul (Leg 1), 10 p.m. ET
- April 24: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Inter Miami (Leg 1), 10:30 p.m. ET
- April 30: Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (Leg 2), 8 p.m. ET
- May 1: Cruz Azul vs. Tigres (Leg 2), 10 p.m. ET
U.S. Open Cup: Round of 3 schedule
Round 3 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will take place April 15-16. Here are the matchups (all games on Paramount+):
Tuesday
- Columbus Crew 2 vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 6 p.m. ET
- Louisville City FC vs. Loudoun United FC, 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
- Charlotte Independence vs. North Carolina FC, 7 p.m. ET
- Portland Hearts of Pine vs. Rhode Island FC, 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
- Charleston Battery vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Union Omaha vs. San Antonio FC, 8 p.m. ET
- AV ALTA FC vs. Orange County SC, 10 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
- Tacoma Defiance vs. Oakland Roots SC, 10:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday
- Detroit City FC vs. Westchester SC, 7 p.m. ET
- FC Naples vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
- Indy Eleven vs. Miami FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- FC Tulsa vs. Phoenix Rising FC, 8 p.m. ET
- Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. One Knoxville SC, 9 p.m. ET
- New Mexico United vs. El Paso Locomotive, 9:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
- Sacramento Republic FC vs. El Farolito, 10 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
- Las Vegas Lights vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, 10:30 p.m. ET
Round 3 teams by league:
➤ USL Championship (20): Charleston Battery, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Detroit City FC, El Paso Locomotive FC, FC Tulsa, Indy Eleven, Las Vegas Lights FC, Loudoun United FC, Louisville City FC, Miami FC, New Mexico United, North Carolina FC, Oakland Roots SC, Orange County SC, Phoenix Rising FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Rhode Island FC, San Antonio FC, Sacramento Republic FC, Tampa Bay Rowdies
➤ USL League One (9): AV ALTA FC, Charlotte Independence, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, FC Naples, One Knoxville SC, Portland Hearts of Pine, South Georgia Tormenta FC, Union Omaha, Westchester SC
➤ MLS NEXT Pro (2): Columbus Crew 2, Tacoma Defiance
➤ NPSL (1): El Farolito
16 select MLS teams will join the competition in the Round of 32 (May 6-7).
MLS betting odds: Who is favorite to win 2025 championship?
According to the latest BetMGM odds, Inter Miami CF (+300) is the current favorite to win the 2025 league championship, followed by Los Angeles FC (+800), Vancouver Whitecaps (+1200), Columbus Crew (+1400), New York Red Bulls (+1600), FC Cincinnati (+1800) and San Diego FC (+1800).
MLS 2025 season key dates
- May 6-7: U.S. Open Cup Round of 32: MLS teams enter the competition
- May 14-18: Rivalry week
- June 14-July 13: Club World Cup
- July 23: MLS All-Star Game, in Austin, Texas
- July 29-Aug. 31: Leagues Cup
- Oct. 18: Final day of regular season (MLS Decision Day)