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81 min:Segovia presses but fouls. Whitecaps reclaim possession. But Miamiâ€s midfielders are no longer quite as passive as they were earlier, and Vancouverâ€s passes arenâ€t getting them anywhere.
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80 min:Itâ€s a battle of turnovers now, dragging down the passing percentages for both teams.
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78 min:Miami sub – Bright for Silvetti.
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77 min:Another Vancouver turnover. Theyâ€ve been better for the most part but have suffered mightily for a couple of mistakes.
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76 min:Miami do little with the corner, but they keep possession, and thatâ€s better than a low-percentage shot.
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75 min:Free kick to Messi, likely too far for a shot. But itâ€s a dangerous ball, and White heads it out for … get this … the first corner kick of the game.
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73 min:De Paul and Messi are longtime national teammates. That combination is not a surprise.
Now Messi is down after a nasty foul from the frustrated Cubas, who gets yellow.
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Gooooooaallll!!! Miami 2-1 Vancouver (De Paul 71)
And just like that, the game changes. Messi cleanly strips the ball from Cubas and taps it ahead to De Paul, whoâ€s 1-on-1 with the keeper. Simple far-post finish.
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70 min:Miami turnover, and Vancouver break. Miami defenders get back in place and again sag back, not pressing. Youâ€d have to think the younger Whitecaps would be favored in extra time.
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68 min:Vancouver subs – Gauld replaces the goal-scorer Ahmed, while Pupe replaces Priso. Pupe made no appearances after signing late in the regular season and has played four minutes in the playoffs. No pressure.
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Priso sits down for Vancouver. The Whitecaps had readied some subs but may now wait to see if he can continue.
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66 min:Another smart Whitecaps combination ends with Ahmed losing his footing. Miami start to break the other way, but Blackmon alertly … fouls. Yellow.
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65 min:Busquets wins the aerial battle to clear Berhalterâ€s free kick.
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64 min:Free kick for Vancouver off a handball, and we have a tangle of bodies after the whistle.
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62 min: OFF BOTH POSTS!Sabbi hits the inside of one post, and it bounds across to hit the other. Falcon intervenes on the rebound, and it hits the post again.
Vancouver in championship form here.
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Goooooaaalll!!!! Miami 1-1 Vancouver (Ahmed 60)
The ball is played into White, who attracts a lot of attention and spots Ahmed across the top of the box. Ahmed shoots near post, surprising Rios Novo. The Miami keeper gets part of it, but the ball trickles across the line.
Game on? Game on!
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59 min:The passing combination was there for Vancouver, but they just canâ€t complete it.
Vancouver keep getting closer.
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58 min:Müller has a shot blocked. Berhalter down in the area somehow. Messi somehow going the other way with the ball. More bodies on the turf. Weâ€re at warp speed here.
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Ben Morton writes: “This is my first MLS game, incredible energy from the players and a great atmosphere in the stadium coming through the screen. Utterly compelling. Hoping to see Messi lift the cup. Feels like there could be a Red Card out there for someone though…â€
My moneyâ€s on Falcon.
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56 min: CHANCE for Miami!Alba puts in a dangerous cross thatâ€s punched out but not too far, and Messi has a free header from 15 yards out that goes tantalizingly wide.
Sub: Segovia replaces Rodriguez.
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53 min:Another Vancouver free kick as Allen makes a wrestling move on Ocampo. Near the hash mark to denote 10 yards away from a corner kick. Tough angle, nothing comes of it.
But Ahmed collects it and slaloms through the Miami defense most menacingly before surrendering the ball. The Vancouver forward is asking some questions of this experienced Miami defense.
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51 min:Vancouver have a kickabout unencumbered by any Miami pressure.
And … oh boy … Ahmed just went down just inside the penalty area. Falcon barks at him when he gets up. Probably neither a foul nor a dive – just incidental contact.
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50 min:And someone in the stands can now claim they were nearly hit by a Sebastian Berhalter free kick.
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48 min:Ahmed races past Falcon, who responds by knocking him down. Fischer responds by showing yellow, and Sebastian Berhalter might fancy his chances from here.
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47 min:You know what I hate as a referee? People whining about who should have possession of the ball after it goes out of play when weâ€re all screened and canâ€t see who had it last. Itâ€s a throw-in or a corner, not a Messi free kick from 22 yards out.
Speaking of free kicks from 22 yards out …
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Second halfis underway. Seems like much of the crowd is in line for concessions or the bathroom.
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The MLS site says Vancouver has had 58.23% of the possession. Theyâ€ve had 250 passes to Miamiâ€s 149. And they committed 14 fouls to Miamiâ€s 10.
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Halftime: Miami 1-0 Vancouver
If you tuned in for Messi v Müller, you might be disappointed. But what we have instead is a pulsating final with an early goal that has made things open up.
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45 min +2:Itâ€s in the net – the top side of it. Flag goes up anyway.
But the good news for Miami is that theyâ€ve weathered the Vancouver storm.
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45 min +1:Silvetti hits the turf and tries to remember which body part heâ€s going to claim was injured in a collision. He gets the call. Seems dodgy.
Free kick to Miami, but probably outside Messiâ€s shooting range.
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45 min: Yellow to Ocampo for throwing his body in front of Rodriguez with the ball traveling the side of the field. Not a half to remember for the Vancouver defender.
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42 min:Itâ€s one-way traffic now. Miami canâ€t get a sniff of the ball.
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41 min: LEAPING SAVEby Rios Novo, who nearly falls back across his own line with the ball but alertly leans forward and holds the ball just shy of the target.
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38 min: POINT-BLANK SAVEby Rios Novo after a Whitecaps free kick is recycled into the box by Müller. Ahmed had the goal at his mercy but put it right at the Miami keeperâ€s chest.
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Updated at 15.27 EST
36 min:Everybody seems mad at our referee, Drew Fischer. Maybe they should quit banging into each other and/or falling down on the slightest touch.
Free kick Vancouver, but players are just falling like dominoes in the box.
Now another free kick, and a Miami player risks a card by pulling the ball away as Fischer approaches.
Yellowto someone on the Miami bench. Itâ€s not head coach Javier Mascherano.
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35 min:You know who has barely made a significant touch on the ball in this game? Thatâ€d be Thomas Müller.
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34 min: CHANCEfor Vancouver as White gets a head on the free kick, but itâ€s right at Rios Novo.
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