FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Matias Rojas scored twice and Jordi Alba had four assists as defending-champion Inter Miami, despite having a player sent off in the 28th minute, hung on to defeat Toronto FC 4-3 in round-of-32 Leagues Cup play Thursday. While there was no Lionel Messi, the game had pretty much everything else.
The first half featured five goals, a red card and three penalties, one of which was downgraded to a free kick after video review. Diego Gomez and Luis Suarez also scored for Miami, which led 3-1 after 20 minutes and 3-2 at the break. The 35-year-old Alba, who spent 11 seasons with Barcelona, becomes the first player to record four assists in a Leagues Cup game.
Lorenzo Insigne, scoring twice from the penalty spot, replied for Toronto which also benefited from an own goal by Noah Allen. Miami will play at either MLS champion Columbus or Sporting Kansas City, who play Friday in the Ohio capital, on Monday or Tuesday in the round of 16. Despite being down a man, Miami looked composed in the second half and went ahead 4-2 in the 59th minute with Alba laying the ball off for Rojas to knock home from distance with a well-placed shot after a beautiful team buildup.
Both teams had chances to add to their totals in the second half and Toronto cut the lead to 4-2 in the 79th minute, with substitute Prince Owusu’s header deflecting in off Allen. Insigne supplied the cross that led to the goal. Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender made a diving save in the 85th minute of a Kevin Long shot to preserve the win.
Federico Redondo, with the Toronto defence in disarray, hit the goalpost in the 87th minute. It was one-way traffic to start on a hot night at Chase Stadium with Messi watching from the seats because of an ankle injury suffered at Copa America. Miami co-owner David Beckham and singer Gloria Estefan were also in the stands.
Toronto had a nightmarish opening with Suarez gifted a scoring chance in the second minute after a giveaway by Federico Bernadeschi. Sean Johnson made the save but Miami went ahead a minute later when two Toronto defenders went to one Miami attacker, leaving Rojas uncovered and the Paraguayan international midfielder, taking an Alba cross, hammered home a low shot into the far corner. The Toronto defence was breached again in the 10th minute but Gomez fired just wide.
The Paraguayan made no mistake a minute later, taking a pass from Alba and beating Johnson with a shot from just outside the penalty box. Toronto was thrown a lifeline in the 14th minute when Mexican referee Adonai Escobedo pointed to the penalty spot after Argentine defender Marcelo Weigandt took down Derrick Etienne Jr. after losing the ball in the penalty box.
Insigne sent Callender the wrong way a minute later to cut the lead to 2-1. Bernadeschi exited in the 18th minute after going down, giving way to Owusu. Suarez made it 3-1 in the 20th minute with Alba finding the Uruguayan star behind the defence as he made his run.
Long misread the play, allowing Suarez to chip Johnson. Miami reduced to 10 men in the 28th minute after defender David Martinez took down Owusu, who was sent in behind the defence by Deybi Flores. Martinez, acquired on loan from Argentina’s River Plate on July 24, was initially shown a yellow but it was upgraded to red on video review.
The referee initially pointed to the penalty spot but the decision was changed to a free kick on the edge of the box with Callender saving Insigne’s cheeky set-piece chip. Owusu did win a penalty in the 38th minute, going down with a tangle with Alba who needed treatment after protesting his innocence. After the call survived video review, Insigne fired the ball into the corner in the 41st.
Veteran midfielder David Busquets clashed with Toronto’s Richie Laryea early in the second half, escaping punishment after knocking the wingback to the ground. The Leagues Cup features 47 teams, 29 from Major League Soccer and 18 from Mexico’s Liga MX — as well as a prize pool of US$40 million with US$2 million going to the winner. There are also three berths in the CONCACAF Champions Cup up for grabs.
Toronto topped East Group 6, beating Mexico’s Pachuca 2-1 after edging the New York Red Bulls 5-4 on penalties. Miami defeated Mexico’s Club Puebla 2-0 before losing to 2-1 to Mexico’s Tigresto finish runner-up in East Group 3. Miami got to host Thursday’s game because it is seeded higher than Toronto.
Miami (16-4-5) currently leads the Supporters’ Shield standings, topping the Eastern Conference. Toronto (9-14-3) sits eighth in the East, 23 points below Miami which also has a game in hand. But TFC had won three straight outings, including two in Leagues Cup play, since a 3-1 MLS loss at Miami on July 17.
Toronto is idle until Aug. 24 when it visits the Houston Dynamo..
