Toronto earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Inter Miami in their Major League Soccer clash, holding off a late surge spearheaded by Lionel Messi. Toronto seized control in the second half with two goals in quick succession. Josh Argent broke the deadlock in the 59th minute, and Derrick Etienne Jr. doubled the advantage just three minutes later in the 62nd minute. Messi pulled one back for Inter Miami in the 82nd minute with a late finish, but Toronto sustained the pressure to collect all three points.
The result adds another chapter to a dynamic stretch for Inter Miami under head coach Guillermo Hoyos. In high-stakes fixtures, Miami unlocked a potent attacking dynamic by shifting Luis Suárez to the bench, pairing Messi with younger, more energetic partners. That tactical adjustment yielded three consecutive victories by a remarkable combined scoreline of 13-1, paving the way to the MLS Cup final against the Vancouver Whitecaps. In that final, World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul scored a 71st-minute winner off a Messi assist, finishing cleanly in a one-on-one against Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, despite Vancouver threatening through Thomas Müller and seeing Emmanuel Sabbi hit both posts.
Messi and De Paul recently returned to domestic duties after taking time off following their run to the FIFA World Cup final with Argentina. Both players missed fixtures against Chicago Fire FC and CF Montréal, and were excused from the MLS All-Star Game roster. Upon returning to league play, Messi made a second-half appearance in a 2-2 draw with Columbus Crew. Just three minutes after coming on, the Argentine took down a pass from Suárez inside the penalty box but sent his left-footed shot wide. That match also featured Brazil midfielder Casemiro scoring an own goal on his Miami home debut, while Brais Méndez netted an 84th-minute free kick to deny Miami victory after Suárez had opened the scoring. Hoyos acknowledged the match slipped away late, though he praised both Messi and De Paul for their contributions.
Across the wider league, dramatic storylines continue to unfold. Chicago Fire FC picked up a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC as Poland striker Robert Lewandowski scored twice on his home debut, though Chicago later dropped a 2-1 decision to Houston Dynamo following a double from Guilherme. FC Dallas secured a 3-2 win against Toronto behind two goals from Croatian forward Petar Musa, while early title favorites LAFC previously handed Miami a 3-0 defeat with goals from David Martínez and Nathan Ordaz alongside Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min.
Miami’s squad depth has been repeatedly tested during this campaign. In another recent victory, Puso Dithejane subbed on for Philip Zinckernagel in the 62nd minute to score his first career MLS goal, before Plambeck sealed the win in second-half stoppage time. As Hoyos stresses the need for privacy while Messi trains for upcoming matches, Inter Miami continues to adjust its line-up and integrate key figures to stay competitive at the top level.
