TORONTO, ONTARIO – MAY 09: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF looks on during the MLS match between Toronto FC and Inter Miami CF at BMO Field on May 09, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
Mark Blinch
Getty Images
A record sellout crowd filled an expanded BMO Field Saturday afternoon as defending MLS Cup champion Inter Miami, with its superstar captain, Lionel Messi, was in town for a game against Toronto FC.
The stadium capacity was increased from 28,000 to 45,736 seats for the upcoming World Cup, and the temporary stands were open for the first time on Saturday as a test run. There were plenty of pink No. 10 shirts and Argentina jerseys sprinkled among the crowd, as there always are when Messi visits opponent’s home fields.
Inter Miami took a 1-0 lead into halftime after a screamer of a goal from Rodrigo De Paul in the 44th minute. It appeared Messi was setting up to take a free kick, but De Paul took it instead. His shot bounced off the wall, and he cranked the rebound to the left post, and the ball bounced in off the post.
The Miami players ran over to De Paul for a group celebration.
Messi had missed a close-range shot five minutes earlier off a nice feed from Luis Suarez, and seemed delighted to see his close friend De Paul score.
Both teams were looking to bounce back from embarrassing home losses. Miami was coming off a 4-3 loss to Orlando in the Florida Derby, a match in which they surrendered four goals in a row after taking a 3-0 lead in the first half.
Injury-plagued Toronto, coached by Robin Fraser, a Miami Palmetto High grad and former FIU soccer star, conceded a late hat trick in a 3-1 loss to visiting Atletico Ottawa on Tuesday in the first round of the Canadian Championship.
It was a homecoming for Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, a Canadian national team goalkeeper who celebrated his 29th birthday on Saturday. St. Clair, the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year with Minnesota United, has had an up and down first season with Miami and is highly motivated to play well as he vies for a starting role on Canada’s World Cup team.
De Clair made a big save in first-half added time on a shot by Daniel Salloi from the center of the box.
Joining St. Clair and Messi in the starting lineup were right back Facundo Mura, center back Gonzalo Lujan, center back Micael, left back Noah Allen, midfielder Yannick Bright, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, midfielder Telasco Segovia, winger German Berterame and forward Luis Suarez.
Lujan replaced Maxi Falcon in the Starting XI. Left back Sergio Reguilon and midfielder David Ayala were back from injury and available on the bench. Other Miami substitutes included Mateo Silvetti, Rocco Rios-Novo, David Ruiz, Daniel Pinter, Preston Plambeck, and Alex Shaw.
Ian Fray missed the game with a lower leg injury. Tadeo Allende was left off the game roster as a precaution for signs of muscle fatigue, per a team spokesman. Allende scored an MLS playoff record nine goals during Miami’s MLS Cup run, but has not scored through eight games this season.
Entering the match, Miami sat in third place in the East (19 points) behind the New England Revolution, which held the tiebreaker on goal difference. Nashville SC is in first place with 23 points. Toronto was in eighth place.
Toronto’s veteran center back Walker Zimmerman, a two-time MLS Defender of the Year, played Messi several times while with Nashville SC and explained the challenges of facing Messi in the leadup to the game .
“There’s no denying [Messi’s] talent; his ability to change the game at any given point in time,” Zimmerman said. “He just raises awareness of all the people that play against him because anytime you’re in an individual moment, you’re like, ‘I’m gonna stop him.’ And that can be good or bad. I’ve seen it go both ways.”
This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 1:33 PM.
Miami Herald
Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.