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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nathan Ordaz scored in the 57th minute, and Los Angeles FC kept Lionel Messi off the scoresheet Wednesday night in a 1-0 victory over Inter Miami in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal matchup.
Messi had produced a goal (5) or an assist (2) in each of his first six Champions Cup appearances since joining Miami two years ago, including three goals in the early rounds of this year's tournament.
After returning from injury only last weekend, Messi played the entire match in Los Angeles. He put two of his five shots on target, but Hugo Lloris stopped both chances.
“I think (Messi) always had a black jersey in front of him, and that’s the point,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said. “You can’t always defend him, nor can you always shut down Jordi Alba, (Sergio) Busquets, (Luis) Suárez. … Those guys are going to get a chance or two, and the only way to defend players of that quality and teams of that quality is with a collective effort.”
The loss was the first of 2025 for Miami, which had won seven straight matches across all competitions while starting 8-0-1 under new coach Javier Mascherano.
“It was a game that we expected,” Mascherano said after his first defeat with Miami. “We know LA. They have good players, and they have players in front that can (make) the difference. But I think we controlled them almost all the game in a good way. Obviously, we didn’t have the best night tonight, but in the end, it’s the first leg. We have the next game next week, and we will see. I believe that we can do the right things to (get) through.”
The clubs meet again in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, April 9, for the second leg of the quarterfinal.
The aggregate winner advances to the semifinals to face MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps or Liga MX’s Pumas, who played to a 1-1 draw in their first leg.
LAFC, which finished as the runner-up in this tournament in 2020 and 2023, ended its 0-4-1 skid over the previous 3 1/2 weeks with a strong performance on both ends against powerhouse Miami, which leads the MLS standings at 4-0-1.
“I think we saw a complete performance, a good one from the guys,” Cherundolo said. “They invested a lot. We need to be a little sharper, a little more focused in the final third with our chances against good teams, and Miami is certainly a good team, maybe the best team.”
The 37-year-old Messi has been slowed in recent weeks by an adductor injury, forcing him to miss duties with the Argentine national team last month. But he returned to MLS play last Saturday with a goal as a substitute in Miami’s win over Philadelphia, and he was in the Herons’ starting lineup in Los Angeles.
Messi took two free kicks in dangerous areas in the first half, but he sailed his first over the bar and sent the second directly to Lloris.
He had a good chance in the 80th minute, but his quick turnaround shot above the penalty area was also too high. He fired another low shot at Lloris in the 86th minute, and the French keeper smothered it after a bobble.
Messi earned one last free kick off a foul on a dribble in second-half injury time, but also sailed it high.
“Sometimes (we) couldn’t find the spaces,” Mascherano said. “They did very well in defense also, so sometimes you have to accept. Maybe we had some (chances) in the second half. ... At the end, I think we were not clear in attack, but the players tried until the end in many ways.”
The 21-year-old Ordaz put LAFC ahead when he eluded Busquets and hammered a swift shot into the bottom corner of the Herons' net from well outside the penalty area. The promising homegrown player and Los Angeles native also scored against Columbus in a Champions Cup match last month.
Ordaz had narrowly avoided a red card in the first half when he became entangled with Maxi Falcón. The Uruguayan defender went down from what Miami felt was a punch by Ordaz, who was given only a yellow upon video review.
“There’s contact, (and) there’s contact prior to that from the opposing player,” Cherundolo said. “I applaud the decision not to send guys off the field, and I would say the same thing if it was the reverse, if it was a Miami player in question.”
The packed crowd included NBA stars Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, whose Golden State Warriors play the Lakers on Thursday night.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
