Grading Inter Miami’s Turbulent Win as Messi Sets MLS Record in Front of Historic Crowd

Inter Miami got back into the win column on Saturday, trouncing Toronto FC 4–2 in front of a record crowd at BMO Field. Lionel Messi led the way for the Herons, notching a goal and two assists, to set a record for the fastest player to reach 100 goal contributions in MLS regular season history.

Saturday’s outing means the Herons have successfully bounced back from last week’s humiliating affair, surrendering a 3–0 lead against Florida rivals Orlando City and ultimately losing 4–3.

While Messi’s impressive showing dominates the storyline, it was a complete team effort from the reigning MLS Cup champions. 

Rodrigo De Paul scored the opening goal right before half-time on a highlight-reel second attempt, after his free-kick initially hit Toronto’s wall of players. He perfectly struck the bouncing ball on a volley and hit the side-post into the net, leaving Toronto’s goalkeeper Luka Gavran utterly stunned.

Luis Suárez netted his third goal of the campaign in the 55th minute after a quick breakout play from De Paul and Messi, before the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner picked up his second assist of the day on Sergio Reguilón’s first MLS goal minutes later. Messi then added a goal of his own in the 75th minute. 

While Miami dominated, they weren’t able to avoid a late-game collapse, allowing two goals to Toronto’s Emilio Aristizábal.

Outside of the dramatic goalscoring, the matchup also featured several stoppages for pitch invasions, including a four-person effort late in the match, following an earlier invader who ran out to Messi for a photo. It’s not an unusual occurrence to see pitch invaders looking for the superstar, but upwards of five in one match is extraordinary.

It all came in front of a record crowd for the venue as well, as 44,828 fans packed into the recently expanded stadium, which will host six games at the upcoming World Cup. That record stands as the most for a soccer game at the stadium, but also eclipsed the previous venue record of 40,148 set at the NHL Centennial Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings in 2017.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s breakdown of the match, featuring report card grades for each Inter Miami player who saw the pitch. 

Inter Miami Report Card vs. Toronto FC (4-3-3)

GK: Dayne St. Clair—C+: The Canadian backstop was in familiar surroundings for the match on his birthday and stood out with a sharp first-half save on Daniel Sallói, as one of his three saves on the day, despite allowing two goals.

RB: Facundo Mura—B+: Stepping into the right back position for the injured Ian Fray, Mura was a constant presence up the right wing throughout the match, making quick interplays with Rodrigo De Paul.

CB: Gonzalo Luján—B: Replacing Maxi Falcón in an effort to shore up the defensive outlook, Luján stood out alongside Micael in a largely uneventful effort, far better than the mistake-ridden play from Falcón’s nine previous starts.

CB: Micael—B-: The Brazilian center back completed the most passes in the match of any player and was vital in keeping Toronto’s attackers at bay for most of the afternoon. However, his loss on Emilio Aristizábal’s header in the final moments cost him a higher grade.

LB: Noah Allen—D: The Greek youth international has become one of the most consistent pieces for Inter Miami in the last three seasons and was largely unproblematic in his efforts down the left flank, ending his afternoon with three defensive contributions in 68 minutes.

RM: Rodrigo De Paul—A: Rodrigo De Paul’s efforts to make the Argentina World Cup squad have been impressive since the March international window, and his showing against Toronto FC stood out, first with his impressive goal on the volley before an assist to Messi later, stringing together a goal that will no doubt catch the eye of Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni.

CM: Yannick Bright—A+: Taking on a more central role in the 4-3-3 as De Paul shifted to the right, Bright was a physical force in midfield, while also creating space for each of De Paul and Segovia in wider positions. His 13 defensive contributions led the match, showcasing his impressive two-way skillset.

LM: Telasco Segovia—C: In a match where Inter Miami dominated the run of play and created plenty of chances, Telasco Segovia was unable to get in on the fun, despite amassing 49 touches through 79 minutes.

RW: Lionel Messi—A+: Playing in his 101st match for Inter Miami, Lionel Messi stood out in this one, scoring once and picking up two assists, while also creating four chances and taking five shots. With his impressive showing, he broke Toronto FC legend Sebastian Giovinco’s record for the fastest player to reach 100 goal contributions in MLS regular season play, doing so in just 64 games.

ST: Luis Suárez—A+: Luis Suárez might not be the most mobile player anymore, but his finishing touch is still as good as ever. Amassing 45 touches through 78 minutes, the Uruguayan found himself in prime scoring areas, netting his third goal of the season to sit second in the club’s goalscoring race, only behind Messi.

LW: Germán Berterame—F: Germán Berterame is in a last-gasp effort to crack Mexico’s World Cup squad and his massive second-half miss in this match won’t help him draw many positive review. The $15 million man had no shots and just 26 touches through 90 minutes.

SUB: Sergio Reguilón (68’)—A: The Argentine wingback came into the game late on and had one of his best MLS showings to date, picking up a goal in the 73rd minute while making his presence known up the wing.

SUB: David Ayala (78’)—F: A highly-regarded offseason add from the Portland Timbers, Ayala struggled off the bench on Saturday, making a horrible mistake to allow Toronto to get onto the scoresheet.

SUB: Preston Plambeck (78’)—D: The 20-year-old academy product had 15 touches and was largely invisible as the Herons saw out the lead, despite giving up two goals.

SUB: Dániel Pintér (78’)—C: The 18-year-old Pintér continued to collect minutes off the bench this season and made four successful passes late in the game for the Herons.

Subs not used: Rocco Ríos Novo (GK), Maxi Falcón, Alex Shaw, David Ruiz, Mateo Silvetti

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Saturday’s match marked the first time in nine games that the club did not start center back Maxi Falcón, dropping him from the lineup after a string of poor performances and questionable decisions cost his side points at Nu Stadium.

While Toronto were still able to create chances and find their way through the central defensive pairing of Gonzalo Luján and Micael, there were far fewer glaring positional errors, than there have been with Falcón.

The shift showed the growth of new interim manager Guillermo Hoyos, who made just two substitutions in last week’s collapse against Orlando City. Instead of sticking to his usual lineup, he made adjustments to solve a problem, and it paid off, emphasizing his abilities as a manager and not just as a coach that has a history with Lionel Messi from their time in FC Barcelona’s academy.

What’s Next For Inter Miami?

With the victory, Inter Miami snapped a brief two-game winless skid following a draw against the New England Revolution and a loss to Orlando City. Now, the group looks ahead to three more games before the break for the 2026 World Cup, starting with Wednesday's match against FC Cincinnati, followed by two home dates against the Portland Timbers and Philadelphia Union.

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