The hype was unreal. Honestly, when the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup bracket pitted CF Monterrey vs Inter Miami against each other, everyone basically stopped looking at the rest of the tournament. It was supposed to be the moment Lionel Messi truly conquered the "Concachampions" and brought MLS to the summit.
Instead? It turned into a masterclass in Liga MX dominance and a reminder that star power doesn't always beat a cohesive, high-altitude system.
If you just looked at the scoreline, you'd think Monterrey simply cruised. But the real story is much messier. It involved locker room shouting matches, leaked audio, and a "possessed dwarf" comment that nearly broke the internet. You've probably heard the rumors, but the tactical breakdown and the sheer intensity of that second leg in Mexico showed exactly why Monterrey—five-time champions of this competition—aren't scared of anyone. Not even the GOAT.
The Night the Dream Died in Guadalupe
April 10, 2024. The Estadio BBVA, often called "El Gigante de Acero," was absolutely rocking. You could feel the tension through the screen.
Messi was back in the starting XI after missing the first leg in Fort Lauderdale with a hamstring injury. Inter Miami needed a miracle. They were already down 2-1 after a collapse at home where David Ruiz saw red and Jorge Rodríguez scored a late screamer.
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The plan was simple for Miami: get the ball to Messi, let Luis Suárez find space, and hope Sergio Busquets could control the tempo. It didn't happen.
Monterrey's coach, Fernando "Tano" Ortiz, set up a trap. They didn't just sit back. They pressed. They hounded. And then, the disaster happened. In the 31st minute, Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender—who had been a hero for the club so many times—made a catastrophic error. He tried to play a pass out of the back, basically handed it to Brandon Vazquez, and the USMNT striker didn't miss. 1-0 Monterrey.
From that point on, you could see the shoulders drop for Inter Miami.
Why the "Messimanía" Hit a Wall
Most fans thought Messi’s presence alone would be enough to intimidate the Rayados. Kinda the opposite happened. The Monterrey crowd booed Messi every single time he touched the ball. It was relentless.
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Tactically, Monterrey exposed the biggest flaw in this Inter Miami project: the "Barça Friends" can't do it alone. While Messi, Suárez, Busquets, and Jordi Alba have the IQ, the supporting cast struggled with the pace of the Mexican side.
- Germán Berterame scored a rocket in the 58th minute that effectively ended the tie.
- Jesús Gallardo added a third shortly after, making it 5-2 on aggregate.
- Jordi Alba eventually lost his cool, picking up two yellow cards in four minutes and getting sent off.
Miami looked old. Monterrey looked like a machine. By the time Diego Gómez headed in a consolation goal off a Messi free kick in the 85th minute, the party in the stands had already started.
The Controversy You Didn't See on TV
The match on the pitch was only half the story. The CF Monterrey vs Inter Miami rivalry got personal before the second leg even kicked off.
After the first leg in Miami, reports surfaced of a heated confrontation in the tunnel. Messi, who didn't even play in that game, was reportedly upset with the officiating and confronted the Monterrey coaching staff. Then came the leaked audio.
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Nico Sánchez, an assistant for Monterrey, was heard in a voice note calling Messi a "possessed dwarf" with the "face of the devil." He later apologized, but the damage was done. Tano Ortiz had also publicly suggested that the referees might favor Miami because of the "business" of Messi.
This wasn't just soccer. It was a regional civil war between the established power of Liga MX and the rising commercial juggernaut of MLS.
What This Means for the Future
Inter Miami learned the hard way that the CONCACAF Champions Cup is a different beast than the Leagues Cup. In the Leagues Cup, they played mostly at home. In Mexico, they faced 50,000 screaming fans and a team that has won this trophy five times since 2011.
If you're wondering if these two will meet again, the answer is likely. With the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on the horizon and both leagues constantly expanding their cross-border competitions, the Rayados and the Herons are on a collision course.
Key Takeaways for the Next Rematch:
- Home Field is Everything: Winning in Mexico remains the hardest task for any MLS side.
- Depth Over Stars: Miami's bench struggled to match the energy of Monterrey's starters.
- Discipline Matters: You can't give away red cards in both legs of a quarterfinal and expect to advance.
The next time you see CF Monterrey vs Inter Miami on the schedule, don't just look at the names on the back of the jerseys. Look at the legs. Look at the travel. Monterrey proved that in this part of the world, history and structure still hold the crown.
If you want to understand how Miami can bridge this gap, your best bet is to track their defensive signings over the next transfer window. They need youth and speed at center-back if they ever want to survive a trip back to Guadalupe. Check the latest MLS injury reports and Liga MX standings to see how both teams are currently rotating their squads before the next big tournament window.