Messi scores again, but Miami fall 2-1 to Toronto and hit five without a win (2026)

Lionel Messi scored again for Inter Miami, and the club still left Nu Stadium without a win. Toronto FC beat Miami 2–1 on Saturday, Aug. 22, and the result extended Miami’s winless run across all competitions to five matches. 1 2

Match snapshot

Field	Update
Competition	MLS regular season: Inter Miami CF vs. Toronto FC at Nu Stadium. 2
Final score	Toronto FC 2–1 Inter Miami. Josh Sargent and Derrick Etienne Jr. scored in the 59th and 62nd minutes; Messi replied in the 82nd. 1 2
Messi’s line	Started; 1 goal in the 82nd minute from a Rodrigo De Paul through ball. The finish was Messi’s 14th MLS goal of the season. 2 3
Club record after the match	11 wins, 4 losses, 6 draws, 39 points. 2

The five-match run

Miami’s last five results, including the Leagues Cup group-stage exit, are:

Aug. 8: Inter Miami 1–2 Monterrey (Leagues Cup) 4
Aug. 12: Inter Miami 2–3 Club León (Leagues Cup) 4
Aug. 15: Nashville SC 4–1 Inter Miami (MLS) 4
Aug. 19: Philadelphia Union 2–2 Inter Miami (MLS) 4
Aug. 22: Inter Miami 1–2 Toronto FC (MLS) 1

Messi missed the Monterrey match after his father’s death and came off the bench against León. He started the three MLS games that followed and still has two goals and an assist in that stretch, according to Sports Illustrated’s rundown of the skid. 4

Sports Illustrated notes that five consecutive club games without a win would match Messi’s previous career high, set with Barcelona in 2013. A failure to beat CF Montréal this weekend would put him on that mark; another winless result after that would set a new personal club low. 4

Team signal

ESPN’s current Eastern Conference table has Miami second on 39 points from 21 matches, 10 points behind first-place Nashville SC (49 points). 1 5

Coach Guillermo Hoyos took responsibility for the results after the Toronto loss:

"Right now, we're facing a struggle with results that we didn't have before. That struggle affects our mindset, and that's why things sometimes don't go our way. I'll say it again, and I always say the same thing: when we're going through a losing streak, the responsibility is mine." 1

Separately, MLS fined Messi and defender Ian Fray undisclosed amounts for contact with opponents’ head and neck areas in stoppage time of the Philadelphia draw. Messi slapped Quinn Sullivan on the back of the neck during an exchange; the league also rescinded Cavan Sullivan’s red card from that match. 6

On the calendar, Bolavip reports that Chicago Fire’s Leagues Cup exit left Miami with a narrower path to the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup: finish among the top three in the Supporters’ Shield race, or win MLS Cup. 7

Confirmed vs. still open

Confirmed

Final Toronto score, scorers, and Messi’s 82nd-minute goal. 1 2
Next home fixture: CF Montréal on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET. 2
Messi’s MLS fine from the Philadelphia incidents. 6

Still open

Whether Messi starts against Montréal.
Whether Miami ends the five-match winless run at home.

Next watch

Inter Miami host CF Montréal at Nu Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET. That is 07:30 on Sunday, Aug. 30, in Asia/Shanghai. 2

Miami beat Montréal 1–0 on the road on July 25 without Messi. Sports Illustrated notes that Montréal arrive with one win in their last seven and have conceded eight goals in their last six. 4

Messi’s personal numbers remain strong — ESPN’s 2026 tracker lists 32 games, 27 goals and 11 assists across club and country after the Toronto match — but Miami still need a result that turns his contributions into three points. 3