Messi, Inter Miami aim to rebound in Toronto FC showdown at expanded BMO Field
As is so often the case when Lionel Messi and his traveling Inter Miami show hit the road, a record crowd is expected at BMO Field Saturday afternoon for the game against Toronto FC.
The stadium normally seats just over 28,000 fans, but the capacity was expanded to 45,736 seats for the upcoming World Cup. Temporary stands were added on each end, and they will be open for the first time on Saturday in anticipation of Messi’s fan appeal.
Both teams are highly motivated to win after surrendering bunches of unanswered goals in home losses in their previous games.
Toronto coach Robin Fraser, a Miami Palmetto High grad and former FIU soccer star, said his team should be “embarrassed” after giving up a late hat trick in a 3-1 loss to visiting Atletico Ottawa on Tuesday in the first round of the Canadian Championship.
Meanwhile, Messi and his teammates gave up four goals in a row after leading 3-0 in a humiliating 4-3 home loss to archrival Orlando City last weekend.
Inter Miami dropped from second place to third in the Eastern Conference, and interim coach Giullermo Hoyos and his players are eager to flip the page and get back to winning.
Hoyos met with the media Friday morning and said the team put in a good week of work and was ready to face Toronto.
Asked what went wrong against Orlando, why Miami conceded four unanswered goals after appearing to have the game in hand, he said: “I always see the good side, not the bad. From a positive standpoint, we played an extraordinary first half, and we can be fueled by that. Yes, maybe in the second half we had a drop because of various situations, not just one, from a football and physical standpoint.
“Everyone is focused on the negative. But it’s not a drama, and that’s the message I want to deliver. Obviously, it’s the derby [against Orlando], but the losses help us grow and learn… One loss doesn’t erase everything the team did.”
Hoyos also addressed his decision to walk out of Saturday’s postgame press conference after one question and the fact that none of the team leaders were available for interviews after such an important loss.
“There are moments when you have to maintain your silence and internalize what you lived,” he said. “It’s about being prudent and respectful, making sure you don’t say things you shouldn’t say.”
Inter Miami should have a nearly full roster available for the game on Saturday (1 p.m., Apple TV). Ian Fray, who left the game with leg cramps, has been undergoing treatment for leg discomfort and did not train Friday. His status for the game is questionable.
Toronto is on a six-game winless streak and as eager to turn things around as Miami. Fraser was asked about the challenge of facing Messi, the two-time MLS MVP, who has eight goals and two assists in 10 games.
“He’s the best who’s ever played the game; It’s a big task and, in some ways, a big motivator for teams that play against them,” Fraser said.
“I think about the old Michael Jordan expression: you can’t stop him; we can only hope to contain him. I think that the same could be said [about Messi]. It’s been many, many years that I have felt he’s the best in the world. Certainly, you have to pay attention to him and know where he is and defend him really well, and you need a little luck.”
Fraser was asked if he is surprised Messi is still playing at such a high level at age 38?
“No, not at all, the great players are the great players,” said Fraser, bringing up his former teammate Thierry Henry as an example. “While you’re not as dynamic at that age as you were 15 years ago, there’s genius in them and they know how to find it at the right moments.”
Toronto’s veteran center back Walker Zimmerman, a two-time MLS Defender of the Year, played Messi several times while with Nashville SC and will be tasked with trying to contain him again.
“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.”
As for how to keep Messi in check, Zimmerman said the key is keeping the ball away from him as much as possible.
“You obviously know that his quality in front of goal is special, and so [you try] to limit the amount of times that he has a free lane to shoot or make a final pass,” Zimmerman said. “That’s easier said than done, but I think [if] you can limit the shots on goal, then you’re limiting the chances he has to score.
“Certainly, there are going to be times where he’s going to make great plays. He’s a great player. There are going to be moments that we’re going to have to defend and scramble a little bit to make a big play, because he’s going to create some chances, for sure.”
As dangerous as Messi is, Zimmerman cautioned against focusing only on him. Inter Miami has the most expensive roster in MLS and features other attackers such as Luis Suarez, German Berterame, Telasco Segovia, Mateo Silvetti and Tadeo Allende. Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who has taken some time to adapt to his new team, will be eager to step up as he is on the Canadian national team and vying for a starting role in the World Cup.
“I think the way that we manage [Messi] is to try and stay as a collective; just focused on the task at hand, which is a team sport,” Zimmerman said. “It’s Toronto against Miami. It’s not Toronto against Messi. It’s not me against Messi. … Obviously, they have other pieces as well that are dangerous, so you can’t just then put too much focus on one player.”