Messi-led Miami 1 win from MLS points record

Inter Miami stands just one victory away from breaking the record for most points earned in a single Major League Soccer regular season after a last-minute 1-0 win over Toronto FC on Saturday at BMO Field.

Forward Leonardo Campana broke the draw in the 93rd minute of the match when finding the back of the net off of a pass from teammate Luis Suárez, scoring his eighth goal of the season and propelling the Herons closer to history.

Despite the significance of the match, head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino chose to rest several key players and rotate the starting lineup after Miami secured the MLS Supporters’ Shield as the best regular-season team last week.

Suárez, Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets only entered the game late in the second half, but still managed to make a positive impact.

“Playing Suarez and Messi late is something that we defined on Friday,” said Martino. “It was logical that after two complete games, as most of them had played, we would make a rotation. It seemed to me that if I made the rotation, I should make it deep … and well we were able to meet the two objectives: one for the players to have some rest and the other to win the game, which is what we wanted.

“We wanted to start from what it represents, especially on a motivational level, and to be able to achieve the points record.”

The New England Revolution currently hold the MLS record after managing 73 points in 2021, but one more triumph in the final game of the campaign would propel Inter Miami to reach 74 points and set a new standard.

Fittingly, Miami will attempt to clinch the title when hosting New England on Oct.19 on the final day of the regular season at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Herons have already made history this season by winning the Supporters’ Shield, their first piece of MLS silverware since debuting as an expansion franchise in 2020.

The triumph also means Inter Miami will have home-field advantage for the entirety of the MLS playoffs.

“Having home-field advantage is amazing, especially with our fans. It’s the perfect situation for us,” said Inter Miami defender Ian Fray.

Miami will kick off the Round One best-of-three game at Chase Stadium on Oct. 25 against the winner of the Eastern Conference Wild Card match.