Whitecaps 3, Miami 1: The respect has to come for Vancouver now
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The singing and chanting rang from stand to stand in a sold-out Chase Stadium, loud and clear. There was dancing, joy and jubilation.
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And none of it for the home side.
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The Vancouver Whitecaps talked about how they would have to play offensively in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal against Inter Miami, and three second-half goals checked that box.
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Now check on availability for tickets for the final, as they qualified for the championship game with a 3-1 victory over Miami on Wednesday night. They won both games against the highly rated Herons, and piled up the goals on aggregate (5-1).
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Brian White and Pedro Vite scored two minutes apart in the second half, while Sebastian Berhalter added a dagger in the 71st. The Herons started brightly on Jordi Alba's ninth minute goal, but couldn't solve the Caps defence the rest of the night.
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The Caps were disrespected in the pre-season power rankings, and that malfeasance continued Wednesday when Miami chose to forgo the Canadian national anthem before the game. But the team that's now unbeaten in nine straight games across all competitions is heading to the Champions Cup championship game.
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The Whitecaps have a chance to host the final, but it's a small one.
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Cruz Azul and UANL Tigres are playing their second leg Thursday night, with Azul grabbing an away goal in their 1-1 first leg in Monterrey last week.
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The team with the most points since the quarterfinal round earns the right to host the game. If tied on points and goal difference, the next tiebreaker is goals scored, followed by away goals scored.
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After Wednesday, the Caps have 10 points, have a plus-four goal differential, 11 goals for and seven away goals. Cruz Azul (9 PTS, +4 GD, 7 GS, 1 AGS) is second, followed by Tigres.
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For Whitecaps FC to host the final, they need Cruz Azul and Tigres draw their second leg in regulation, and finish with a greater goal difference than the Mexican teams.
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Winnipeg Free Press
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
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Global News
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