Toronto FC faces a tough challenge as they prepare to host Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at BMO Field. The Reds are currently winless in six games across all competitions.
Stopping Messi, who had 29 goals in 28 games last season, is a key concern for Toronto. He guided Miami to their first MLS Cup and was named the league’s MVP. This season, he has eight goals and a pair of assists in 10 matches, including a performance last week with three goal contributions in a 4-3 home loss to Orlando City.
However, Messi has only scored one goal in four previous games against Toronto, offering some hope for TFC.
Fraser’s Strategy: Containment Over Stopping
Toronto coach Robin Fraser compared trying to stop Messi to trying to stop Michael Jordan: “You can’t stop him; we can only hope to contain him. I think that the same could be said [about Messi]. …Certainly, you have to pay attention to him and know where he is and defend him really well.”
Veteran centre-back Walker Zimmerman also shared his thoughts on facing Messi. Zimmerman has experience facing Messi from his time with Nashville SC.
“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. 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,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman anticipates moments where Toronto will have to defend and scramble due to Messi’s ability to create chances.
The Wider Threat: Miami’s Attacking Options
Zimmerman stressed the importance of not solely focusing on Messi. Miami has other dangerous attacking players, including Luis Suárez and Telasco Segovia.
“There’s no denying [Messi’s] talent; his ability to change the game at any given point in time. 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,” Zimmerman said.
He added: “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. 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 da
Toronto FC aims to earn their first win since April 4 against Inter Miami.