Inter Miami got back into the win column on Saturday, trouncing Toronto FC 4–2 in front of a record crowd at BMO Field. Lionel Messi led the way for the Herons, notching a goal and two assists, to set a record for the fastest player to reach 100 goal contributions in MLS regular season history.
Saturday's outing means the Herons have successfully bounced back from last week's humiliating affair, surrendering a 3–0 lead against Florida rivals Orlando City and ultimately losing 4–3.
While Messi's impressive showing dominates the storyline, it was a complete team effort from the reigning MLS Cup champions.
Goal Breakdown
Rodrigo De Paul scored the opening goal right before half-time on a highlight-reel second attempt, after his free-kick initially hit Toronto's wall of players. He perfectly struck the bouncing ball on a volley and hit the side-post into the net, leaving Toronto's goalkeeper Luka Gavran utterly stunned.
Luis Suárez netted his third goal of the campaign in the 55th minute after a quick breakout play from De Paul and Messi, before the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner picked up his second assist of the day on Sergio Reguilón's first MLS goal minutes later.
Messi then added a goal of his own in the 75th minute. While Miami dominated, they weren't able to avoid a late-game collapse, allowing two goals to Toronto's Emilio Aristizábal.
Pitch Invaders
Outside of the dramatic goalscoring, the matchup also featured several stoppages for pitch invasions, including a four-person effort late in the match, following an earlier invader who ran out to Messi for a photo. It's not an unusual occurrence to see pitch invaders looking for the superstar, but upwards of five in one match is extraordinary.
Record Crowd
It all came in front of a record crowd for the venue as well, as 44,828 fans packed into the recently expanded stadium, which will host six games at the upcoming World Cup.
That record stands as the most for a soccer game at the stadium, but also eclipsed the previous venue record of 40,148 set at the NHL Centennial Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings in 2017.