Messi's Late Goal Not Enough as Inter Miami Lose Again

Inter Miami's struggles continued on Saturday as they fell 2-1 to Toronto FC, their fourth defeat in their last five matches. Lionel Messi scored his 14th goal of the season in the 82nd minute, but it was not enough to rescue a point for the Florida club.

Messi was played through by Rodrigo De Paul and finished calmly, but by then Toronto had already secured the win with two goals in quick succession. Josh Sargent scored in the 59th minute and Derrick Etienne Jr. added another in the 62nd, giving Toronto their fifth win in 21 MLS matches this season.

The defeat leaves Inter Miami in second place in the Eastern Conference with 39 points after 21 games, 10 points behind leaders Nashville FC. Toronto, meanwhile, moved to 10th place with 24 points, putting them back in playoff contention.

A Growing Crisis for Inter Miami

The loss extends a worrying trend for Inter Miami, who have now gone five matches without a win. Their last victory came against San Luis in the Leagues Cup on August 6, followed by an MLS win against Montreal on August 26. Since then, they have suffered two defeats in the Leagues Cup, leading to their elimination before the knockout stage, and lost 4-1 to Nashville in a battle for the top spot a week earlier. A 2-2 draw against Philadelphia Union in midweek did little to arrest the slide.

Messi, who recently returned to competition after losing his father Jorge two weeks ago, has been a rare bright spot. His goal against Toronto was his 64th in 71 career appearances for Inter Miami, with Maximiliano Falcón also credited with an assist. The team's August record now stands at 0-2-2.

Manager Takes Responsibility

Inter Miami manager Guillermo Hoyos, who replaced Javier Mascherano in April, has taken full responsibility for the team's poor run of results. Speaking after the match, he said the team is "facing a struggle with results that they did not have before."

"That struggle affects our mindset, and that is why things sometimes don't go our way," Hoyos said. "I will say it again, and I always say the same thing: when we are going through a losing streak, the responsibility is mine. Together with the people I work with, we have to build and develop things to see if we can turn this around."

Hoyos noted that he has not heard anything from the club's ownership group regarding his job following the recent losses.

Toronto's Bright Spot

For Toronto, the win was their first in Miami and highlighted the team's fighting spirit. Sargent, who scored the opener, said: "We still have a long way to go, but I think the spirit of this team is that we fight till the end." Dániel Sallói assisted on Sargent's goal, his seventh assist of the season, while Etienne Jr. scored his third goal of the season unassisted.

Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran saved two shots, while Inter Miami's Dayne St. Clair finished without a save. Toronto's recent form has been encouraging, with a 2-0-2 record in their last four matches and a 2-1-4 mark since July 1.

Inter Miami had won 4-2 in Toronto back in May and continue to lead the all-time series 9-3-2, but Saturday's result will do little to ease concerns about their current trajectory.