Inter Miami said goodbye to their three-match win streak on Saturday afternoon, playing to a 1–1 draw against Toronto FC at BMO Field in the first match following Sergio Busquets’ retirement announcement.
While Miami started a strong lineup headlined by Busquets, Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Rodrigo De Paul, they were unable to finish on an abundance of chances. Toronto’s Sean Johnson stood out with five saves, and four came against Messi.
The Herons broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time through a finish from Tadeo Allende, who headed home a cross from Alba to give the visitors the advantage. Yet, they weren’t able to translate that into further momentum. Toronto’s Đorđe Mihailović leveled the match at 1–1 in the 60th minute.
Jordi Alba 🤝 Tadeo Allende@InterMiamiCF grab the lead right before half!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 27, 2025
Alba's 11th assist of the season. Allende's 9th goal of the season. pic.twitter.com/76hvByE9vr
Miami continued to press late and forced Johnson into a sprawling save on a free-kick from Messi, but were unable to find the winner and had to settle for a point on the road.
With the draw, Miami lost control of their Supporters’ Shield destiny and will need to rely on results from the Philadelphia Union, San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC to potentially claim back-to-back regular season titles.
Here are three takeaways from the 1–1 draw.
Lionel Messi’s Finishing Falters
Messi remains in the lead for the MLS Golden Boot with 24 goals and 13 assists, but fell short of the scoresheet against Toronto. The Argentine failed to score on six shots despite putting up 1.47 xG.
Although Toronto allowed the eight-time Ballon d’Or several chances, he was unable to beat Johnson, who put in one of the best performances of the season against Miami’s attack.
Messi entered the match with a chance at history; a multi-goal game would have been his ninth of the season, setting the record for the most in any MLS regular season. Zlatan Ibrahimović currently holds the record with his 2019 total of eight with the LA Galaxy.
Reaction time 📈 pic.twitter.com/xpS8mwyKx8
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) September 27, 2025
While the 38-year-old captain’s finishing struggles stood out, Miami was fickle in the penalty area as a team. Suárez had a forgettable performance, with just a single shot and a mere 33 touches, the least of any player who saw the pitch.
Miami have been reliant on Messi’s goalscoring all season, and should he falter in the postseason, it could be a long winter for the Herons.
Best Lineup Becomes Clear
With the postseason looming, Javier Mascherano has a clear idea of what his best lineup looks like, and that was evident in both matches this week against New York City FC and Toronto FC.
While the Argentine manager has relied on the group of veteran stars for the entire season, the supporting cast has been fluid until recently, with 10 of the 11 starters holding over from both games despite the quick turnaround. Only Mateo Silvetti, who was not available due to an Argentina call-up for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, stepped out of the lineup for Allende.
The recent lineups have also showcased a shift from the presumed best available lineup at the start of the season, with youngster Baltasar Rodríguez favored in left midfield over Telasco Segovia due to his direct play and ability to support the attackers.
At the same time, De Paul and Busquets reverted to their defensive midfield positions in both matches, rather than De Paul’s presence on the right side while Miami were shorthanded in recent weeks.
Heading into the playoffs, having a consistent lineup around the game-breaking star players will be critical, and Mascherano has seemingly hit that point through the final stretch and race for the regular season title.
Supporters’ Shield Race Tightens
As much as the draw extended Miami’s undefeated streak to four games, dropping two points against an already eliminated side could prove fatal in the tight race for the Supporters’ Shield.
Entering the match, Miami sat at 1.9 points per game, good for second in MLS, but ended the afternoon falling to fourth on the points-per-game mark.
Their draw also brought them level on points and games played with Vancouver, as teams that hold multiple games in hand on the other sides in the race for the Shield. However, they trail their Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal opponents on goal differential.
Despite the dropped points, the Shield remains a significant goal for Mascherano.
“Maybe we missed a chance today to continue going up, but at the end it’s important for us to finish as high as possible for when the playoffs start to try to have home [advantage],” the manager told Sports Illustrated. “If we can fight for the Supporters’ Shield, that’s great, we will try. I think it’s mandatory for us to fight for that.”
The Herons will now look to their final four games of the season, three of which come against opponents already eliminated from playoff contention, with hopes of keeping pace with the other top teams and becoming the first team since the Columbus Crew in 2008 and 2009 to win back-to-back Supporters’ Shield titles.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inter Miami 1–1 Toronto FC: Three Takeaways As Herons Drop Vital Points in Supporters’ Shield Race .
