Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gómez scores a goal during the first half of a Leagues Cup soccer match against Toronto FC. Inter Miami won 4-3 on Aug. 8, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.Michael Laughlin/The Associated Press
No Lionel Messi, no problem for defending champion Inter Miami, which showed it has plenty of quality other than the injured Argentine star in knocking Toronto FC out of the Leagues Cup on Thursday.
Matias Rojas scored twice and Jordi Alba had a tournament-record four assists as 10-man Miami hung on to defeat Toronto 4-3 in round-of-32 play.
The action-packed first half featured five goals, a red card and three penalties, one of which was downgraded to a free kick after video review.
Diego Gomez and Luis Suarez also scored for Miami, which led 3-1 after 20 minutes and 3-2 at the break.
“We lost the fight early in the game, that first 15 minutes, and by the time we recovered to get in the fight, we were climbing an uphill battle,” said Toronto coach John Herdman, whose team had its chances with the man advantage.
“I think it’s a missed opportunity for our club,” he added.
Lorenzo Insigne, scoring twice from the penalty spot, replied for Toronto, which also benefited from an own goal by Noah Allen.
Miami outshot Toronto 13-10 (7-6) in shots on target. TFC, with the extra man, had 59 per cent possession.
Miami will face either MLS champion Columbus or Sporting Kansas City, who play against each other Friday in the Ohio capital, on Monday or Tuesday in the round of 16.
Now idle until an Aug. 24 league game at Houston, Toronto has plenty of time to think about what might have been.
“We were on a good run until this game,” said Herdman, whose side had won three straight since a 3-1 league loss at Miami on July 17. “What we got to see there is a team that has won this competition. And a team that is top of MLS.
“When you experience that, you start to realize what the difference is. And we’ll evaluate that as a group and we’ll get to the training field and we’ll be pushing.”
Despite being down a man, Miami looked composed in the second half and went ahead 4-2 in the 59th minute with Alba laying the ball off for Rojas to knock home from distance with a well-placed shot after a beautiful team buildup.
Toronto cut the lead to 4-3 in the 79th minute, with substitute Prince Owusu’s header deflecting in off Allen. Insigne supplied the cross that led to the goal.
Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender made a diving save in the 85th minute to preserve the win. At the other end, Federico Redondo hit the Toronto goalpost in the 87th minute.
It was one-way traffic to start on a hot night at Chase Stadium, with Messi watching from the seats because of an ankle injury suffered at Copa America. Miami co-owner David Beckham and singer Gloria Estefan were also in the stands.
Toronto had a nightmarish opening, falling behind in the third minute when two Toronto defenders went to one Miami attacker, leaving Rojas uncovered and the Paraguayan international midfielder, taking an Alba cross, hammered home a low shot into the far corner.
The Toronto defence was breached again in the 11th minute, with Gomez taking a pass from Alba and beating Sean Johnson with a shot from just outside the penalty box.
Toronto was thrown a lifeline in the 14th minute when Mexican referee Adonai Escobedo pointed to the penalty spot after Argentine defender Marcelo Weigandt took down Derrick Etienne Jr. after losing the ball in the penalty box. Insigne sent Callender the wrong way a minute later to cut the lead to 2-1.
Toronto forward Federico Bernadeschi exited in the 18th minute, sidelined by an ankle issue felt during the warm-up.
Suarez made it 3-1 in the 20th minute with Alba finding the Uruguayan star behind the defence as he made his run. Defender Kevin Long misread the play, allowing Suarez to chip Johnson.
Miami was reduced to 10 men in the 28th minute after defender David Martinez took down Owusu, who was sent in behind the defence by Deybi Flores. Martinez, just acquired on loan from Argentina’s River Plate, was initially shown a yellow that was upgraded to red on video review.
That review also turned a penalty into a free kick on the edge of the box with Callender saving Insigne’s cheeky set-piece chip.
Owusu did win a penalty in the 38th minute, going down in a tangle with Alba who needed treatment after protesting his innocence. After the call survived video review, Insigne fired the ball into the corner in the 41st.
Veteran midfielder David Busquets clashed with Toronto’s Richie Laryea early in the second half, escaping punishment after knocking the wingback to the ground.
The Leagues Cup features 47 teams from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga MX competing for a prize pool of US$40-million – with US$2-million going to the winner – and three berths in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Toronto topped East Group 6, beating Mexico’s Pachuca 2-1 after edging the New York Red Bulls 5-4 on penalties.
Miami defeated Mexico’s Club Puebla 2-0 before losing to 2-1 to Mexico’s Tigres to finish runner-up in East Group 3. Miami got to host Thursday’s game because it is seeded higher than Toronto.
Miami (16-4-5) currently leads the supporters’ Shield standings, 23 points ahead of Toronto (9-14-3).