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Messi reaches new personal milestone but Inter Miami are winless in 5
Inter Miami extended their abysmal form and run of result with a recent defeat to Toronto.
Lionel Messi reached a historic landmark on Saturday night, but it was overshadowed by another disastrous team performance as Inter Miami fell 2-1 to Toronto at Nu Stadium.
The defeat extends Miami’s miserable winless streak to five matches across all competitions, plunging their 2026 MLS campaign into a full-blown crisis.
Toronto capitalised on a defensive collapse from the hosts early in the second half, scoring twice in three minutes to secure an away victory and leave a star-studded Inter Miami side searching for answers.
Despite fielding a straight lineup featuring Messi, Luis Suárez, Casemiro, and Rodrigo De Paul, Inter Miami lacked a clinical edge. The first 45 minutes ended goalless, with both sides struggling to carve out clear-cut opportunities.
The match completely unravelled for the hosts shortly after the interval. Toronto broke the deadlock when USMNT forward Josh Sargent unleashed a brilliant left-footed strike from outside the box, stunning the home crowd just moments after Miami introduced Noah Allen for Sergio Reguilón.
Before Miami could catch their breath, Toronto struck again. Derrick Etienne Jr. capitalised on a quick attacking move, finishing from a tight angle on the right to make it 2-0, leaving the home defence totally exposed.
Messi’s incredible stats
Facing a two-goal deficit, Miami threw on multiple substitutes, including David Ayala, Lovens Delinois, and Dániel Pinter, piled on the pressure.
Lionel Messi finally found a breakthrough, slotting home a regular goal to halve the deficit. it wasn’t enough to rescue a point, but the goal marked a personal achievement: it notched his 140th goal contribution for Inter Miami across all competitions since joining the club.
Despite the team’s abysmal form, Messi’s individual numbers remain genuinely elite. In the 2026 MLS regular season, the 39-year-old now boasts 14 goals and 8 assists (21 total goal involvements)
Inter Miami’s poor form
The numbers are damning, and Inter Miami’s form is in free fall. The club have now failed to win in their last five matches, a stretch that includes back-to-back Leagues Cup defeats (to Monterrey and Club León) and dropping valuable MLS points against Nashville SC (a 4-1 thrashing) and the Philadelphia Union (a chaotic 2-2 draw).
The defence are leaking goals, having conceded 13 times over this five-game skid. Inter Miami must urgently fix their defensive frailties and find team cohesion if they are to salvage their playoff position in the Eastern Conference. With the pressure mounting, they will have to regroup quickly as they look to end the rot in their next MLS fixture.
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