Inter Miami look to be in a sporting crisis. The Florida club lost 2-1 to Toronto FC, their fourth defeat in five matches. Lionel Messi scored for the 14th time this season, but it was not enough to rescue a point.
Rodrigo De Paul played Messi through in the 82nd minute and he finished calmly. By then, though, Inter Miami could not stop Toronto taking the win.
After the break, Josh Sargent and Derrick Etienne Jr. scored for Toronto. That secured only their fifth victory in 21 MLS matches this season. The defeat leaves second-placed Inter Miami ten points behind leaders Nashville.
Before this, Inter Miami had lost 4-1 to Nashville and suffered two defeats in the Leagues Cup. They did take a point against Philadelphia Union in a 2-2 draw, with Messi on target again.
"We are currently dealing with problems around the results that we did not have before. That struggle is affecting our mentality, and that is why things sometimes do not go our way," coach Guillermo Hoyos lamented afterwards in the American media.
Since replacing Javier Mascherano in April, the former technical director says he has still heard nothing from the club's hierarchy about his future, with Inter Miami now enduring a poor run.