Javier Mascherano admitted Inter Miami were beaten by a better side after they exited the CONCACAF Champions Cup with a 5-1 aggregate defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Lionel Messi and company needed to mount a stirring fightback in the second leg of their semi-final tie, having gone down by a 2-0 scoreline in the first leg at BC Place last week.
Although Jordi Alba gave them hope with a ninth-minute drive following good work from Messi and Luis Suarez, Vancouver improved in the second half to dash hopes of a comeback.
Brian White steered his finish into the bottom-right corner six minutes into the second period, and just two minutes later, Pedro Vite’s deflected effort looped over Oscar Ustari to make it 4-1 on aggregate.
The tie was over 19 minutes from time when Sebastian Berhalter – who had assisted both of those goals – fired home on the volley following a scramble in the Miami area.
Vancouver will now face Cruz Azul or Tigres – who are currently locked together at 1-1 after one leg of their semi-final tie – in the final.
And Miami, who saw Messi fail to score for a fourth straight match, will be left to focus on their MLS campaign.
“It hurts because we wanted to reach the final. That would have placed the club in a very important position. Still, we have to accept that they were better,” Mascherano said.
“We know Inter Miami has won the Leagues Cup, but the most important tournament in the region is the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
“But sometimes you have to accept that the opponent is further up the hierarchy and surpassed us. They surpassed us.
“We keep getting further and further in this tournament, so that’s a consolation, although today it does not mean a lot. We will look ahead.”
Miami previously made the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup last season, losing 6-4 on aggregate to Mexican giants Monterrey.
The Herons will also play in the opening match of the Club World Cup – against Egypt’s Al Ahly – on June 14, with Palmeiras and Porto their other Group A opponents.
But Mascherano has not thought that far ahead yet, saying: “We now have to keep focusing on MLS. I don’t think ahead to the Club World Cup because we are a month and a half away.
“Now it’s time to focus on MLS. We’ve been competing in two competitions for two and a half months, and we did it well.”
