Inter Miami take their longest road trip of the season this week as they looks to extend their lead in the MLS Eastern Conference standings.
Coach Gerardo Martino and Inter Miami head to the Pacific Northwest to face the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, May 25, at BC Place. Inter Miami enter with a nine-game unbeaten run and winners of six of their last seven games, coinciding when Lionel Messi returned from a hamstring injury in April.
However, Inter Miami will have to continue their winning ways without some of their stars. The Whitecaps took the extraordinary step on Thursday to announce to their own fans that Messi, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets were not part of Inter Miami’s traveling squad, depriving local fans of a chance to see some of their childhood heroes. That being said, Inter Miami still brings a strong team up north, including Jordi Alba, Matias Rojas, and the rising star Federico Redondo, who could make his return from injury.
The Vancouver Whitecaps have been led by Brian White and Ryan Gauld in the attack and those two can expect to have a field day against Inter Miami’s sometimes leaky defense.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch it across the world, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
MORE: What MLS games are free on Apple TV this week?
What time does Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps kick off?
This MLS clash takes place at an expanded BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. More than 54,000 fans are expected to be in attendance. The match is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time translates across all of the time zones in the United States:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Sat, May 25 | 10:30 p.m. |
| Central Time | Sat, May 25 | 9:30 p.m. |
| Mountain Time | Sat, May 25 | 8:30 p.m. |
| Pacific Time | Sat, May 25 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Alaska ST | Sat, May 25 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Hawaii ST | Sat, May 25 | 5:30 p.m. |
Where to watch Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, live stream, TV channel
Fans can watch Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps and every league match this season via MLS Season Pass from Apple TV.
Fans can sign up for a seasonal subscription to MLS Season Pass for $69 for the remainder of the 2024 season (30% off original price of $99).
Radio coverage is also available on SiriusXM FC.
If Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
WATCH FROM ANYWHERE: Sign up for NordVPN (30-day moneyback guarantee)
Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps lineups, team news
While Inter Miami have largely moved past their injury crisis from earlier in the season, they suffered a big blow last time out as new defensive signing Nicolas Freire went down with an ACL tear in his right knee and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. It’s a massive setback for the side to lose a player whose addition has seen the club improve greatly at the back this year. He becomes the second Inter Miami player to suffer an ACL tear this year after Facundo Farias went down in preseason.
That elevates aging Serhiy Kryvtsov back into a starting role, and Ian Fray has returned to the pitch from his third career ACL tear just in time. Fray’s return could push full-back Noah Allen back into a central position where he was trialed throughout preseason.
Federico Redondo could return from his knee injury for this match, and if not, Tata Martino “guarantees” the midfielder will be back for the following game against Atlanta United. Diego Gomez, however, will miss “a few more weeks” with his ankle injury.
Inter Miami projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Callender (GK) — Weigandt, Aviles, Kryvtsov, Alba — Gressel, Cremaschi, Ruiz — Campana, Afonso, Rojas.
Inter Miami subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
The biggest absence for Vancouver head coach Vanni Sartini to work around is the calf injury to Canadian international Sam Adekugbe which threatens his participation at this summer’s Copa America.
35-year-old midfielder Damir Kreilach is also out with an ankle injury, but the rest of the squad is available to take the field. Most of the starters got rest in the midweek Canadian Championship match against Cavalry FC, so they should be fresh and ready to go for a return to league play.
Vancouver Whitecaps projected starting lineup (3-4-3): Takaoka (GK) — Blackmon, Laborda, Brown — Raposo, Vite, Cubas, Schopf — Gauld, White, Picault.
Vancouver Whitecaps subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps prediction
With Lionel Messi in the starting lineup, Inter Miami has a record of 8-0-1, with an absurd 28 goals scored as a team. Without Messi available from the start, Inter Miami has just one win in six games.
Expect Inter Miami to struggle to create in the final third without Messi and Suarez, though Rojas will give them a chance from free kick situations. At the same time Gauld and wingback Ryan Raposo will create openings in the Miami defense and it’s up to players like White to finish their chances.
Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 Inter Miami
