Lionel Messi found the back of the net once again, yet his individual brilliance failed to lift Inter Miami out of their spiralling slump. David Beckham’s co-owned franchise suffered a disappointing two-one defeat against Toronto FC at their home stadium in Major League Soccer, extending their winless run in the league to three consecutive matches.
Ever since returning from the international break, Inter Miami’s performance graph has taken a notable downward turn. Across their last nine fixtures played since twenty-two July, the team has managed only three victories, alongside two draws and four defeats. This poor run included consecutive losses that led to their elimination from the Leagues Cup. Saturday’s reversal marked their second defeat in six MLS matches and their fourth loss overall since eighth August. Despite holding onto second place in the standings, their points tally stands at thirty-nine after twenty-one matches, trailing significantly behind table-leaders Nashville.
During the opening half on Saturday, the hosts managed to hold their defensive line steady. Neither side broke the deadlock, leaving the scoreboard level at zero-zero as the teams headed into the interval. However, the dynamic shifted dramatically in the second half. Exploiting vulnerabilities in Miami’s defence, Josh Sargent struck in the fifty-ninth minute to put Toronto ahead. Before the hosts could recover from that setback, Derrick Etienne Junior doubled the advantage just three minutes later in the sixty-second minute, effectively pushing the match out of Miami’s reach.
Late in the encounter, in the eighty-second minute, Messi managed to score. This marked the Argentine maestro’s fifth goal in club football following the World Cup break. Unfortunately, his strike served only to reduce the deficit rather than salvage a result for the struggling side.
This latest defeat leaves Inter Miami trailing further behind in the race for the championship title. Within the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, their record after twenty-one matches sits at eleven wins and six draws, giving them thirty-nine points. Meanwhile, Nashville commands the summit with a ten-point lead after playing an equal number of matches.
