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Lionel Messi had two goals and an assist over two legs against Sporting Kansas City
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Jordi Cortizo and German Berterame were top performers for Monterrey
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Pedro de la Vega tallied three goals for Seattle versus Antigua of Guatemala
It was a successful Round One of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup for the three participants from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, Inter Miami CF, CF Monterrey and Seattle Sounders FC, as they all advanced to the Round of 16 in commanding fashion.
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami overcame some wild weather to send home fellow Major League Soccer (MLS) side Sporting Kansas City, Monterrey packed plenty of punch in eliminating Canadian Premier League (CPL) club Forge FC, while the Seattle Sounders clinically saw off Guatemalan side Antigua GFC.
Here is a look back at their two-legged victories.
In what will likely stand as a Concacaf record for many years to come, a whopping 39 degrees Celsius separated the two legs between Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City, with Messi & Co. claiming a bone-chilling 1-0 win in Kansas City on a -17C night before a 3-1 second leg home win in more pleasant 22C conditions.
It was no surprise to see the Inter Miami attack flow through Messi in the two victories. The Argentinian wonder supplied the lone goal in the first leg, while contributing a goal and assist in the second. Stalwarts Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba were also present going forward, the former scoring the team’s fourth goal of the series, but an intriguing new wrinkle is the additions of Tadeo Allende and Telasco Segovia.
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Allende was excellent playing in adverse conditions in Kansas City, showing great control in tight spaces on the left flank, and then displayed his scoring prowess in south Florida. Segovia is another creative outlet for Inter Miami and was unlucky not to have had an assist when Messi was denied at point-blank range in the second leg.
Head coach Javier Mascherano still has work to do to shore up a defence that at times gets pegged back and cannot play out of trouble, but the early returns are positive, and no doubt they’ll fancy their chances in the Round of 16 against Caribbean champions Cavalier of Jamaica.
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Monterrey continue to toil in Liga MX, currently sitting ninth through nine matches, but it is a different story in Concacaf competition. Rayados put CPL giants Forge to the sword with a pair of clean-sheet victories that offered both positives and negatives.
In the short history of Liga MX-CPL meetings in the tournament, the Mexican side usually overcomes a slow start amid frigid conditions in Canada to earn a result in the first leg, which is exactly what happened in this case, even with Monterrey coach Martin Demichelis fielding a team heavy with reserves. Brilliant playmaking from Oliver Torres paved the way for Nelson Deossa’s opener before Jordi Cortizo struck on a sizzling free-kick in the 2-0 final.
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Strengthened by a nearly-invincible home record in Concacaf, Monterrey coasted in the second leg, winning 3-0 on a German Berterame brace and a Cortizo score. In attack, veterans Jesus Corona and Sergio Canales carved up the Forge defence, but the worry for Demichelis will be a defence that was exposed at times in both legs and spared by Forge’s wastefulness. The arrival of Sergio Ramos to the back line is welcomed, as either Costa Rican powerhouse Saprissa or Vancouver Whitecaps in the next round will not be as forgiving.
Seattle could not have asked for a better start to 2025 than an anxiety-free triumph over Antigua GFC. The Sounders leaned heavily into the MLS market to bulk up their roster over the winter and it immediately paid dividends in the 3-1 first-leg win in Central America, as Jesus Ferreira set up former FC Dallas team-mate Paul Arriola in the first leg before repeating that feat in Seattle, also a 3-1 victory.
Ferreira and Arriola have adapted seamlessly into the Seattle attack, helped in large part by their familiarity with fellow forward Jordan Morris and holding midfielder Cristian Roldan from previous USA national team camps.
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Another auspicious sign was the performance of Pedro de la Vega. The talented, young Argentinian attacker suffered an injury-prone first year in Seattle in 2024, but is primed for a breakout 2025, evidenced by his right-footed rocket that served as the winning goal in the first leg, followed by a brace in Seattle.
The 2022 Concacaf champions have hit the ground running and will be well-prepared for a stiff challenge in the next round against Mexican giants Cruz Azul.
