Toronto FC gave up a late goal in a gut-wrenching loss to Inter Miami CF

Inter Miami CF player Christian Makoun in action at the Banc of California Stadium

TORONTO, ON – Toronto FC gave up a late goal in a season where nothing is going for them. One call also went against them late in the game. However, Inter Miami CF took advantage of the one-man advantage and scored late via a penalty given up by Chris Mavinga. They are now fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto FC gave up a late goal in a loss at BMO Field

Three keys to the game

Inter Miami CF played good defence

Miami had to play good defence even when they were one-man up. That is a credit to TFC, but Miami at most times was alert to the danger. These were two examples when Miami made a good defensive play.

  • Leandro González Pírez made a terrific header in the 73-minute to clear a Yeferson Soteldo cross out of danger.
  • Nicolás Figal made a terrific play in the 76-minute to prevent Ifunanyachi Achara from progressing with the ball and drawing a foul.

Additionally, in the 71-minute, Miami made a good defensive play to intercept the ball in the middle of the field. Saying that they should have been sharper in the second half. Nevertheless, Miami got the three points thanks to a late foul in the game.

Inter Miami CF gets a late penalty and goal

In the 90+5-minute of play, Mavinga made a reckless play and fouled Christian Makoun. Miami was linking up well with their passes. However, it was an unnecessary tackle as it gave Miami the eventual game-winner.

Makoun capitalizes on the opportunity. He made TFC goalkeeper Alex Bono guess the other way and scored the game-winning goal. To be fair, Mavinga was the best player of the game in the first half. He made two key plays that kept the game scoreless. However, it shows in soccer that fortunes can change in an instant. Mavinga later apologized for the mistake via Twitter after the game.

Kemar Lawrence got a red card

Late in the first half, Kemar Lawrence got a red card. It all started from Miami’s Jay Chapman. He made a terrific pass to Robbie Robinson, who got past Lawrence. Lawrence then fouled Robinson, who had a clear-cut path to the goal. This meant that TFC was a man short for the rest of the game.

Since Lawrence was sent off, Miami had chances to score late in both the first half and the second half. Miami finally punished Toronto in the 90+5-minute of play and ended up winning the game because of it.

Other Factors

There were really five factors that affected the game. The other two were the missed chances by TFC and the second was Toronto not being awarded a goal late in the game. Jacob Shaffelburg intercepted the ball from a poor pass from the Miami goalkeeper, Nick Marsman, who was under pressure from Yeferson Soteldo.

This shot should have been awarded a goal in the 87-minute. Unfortunately, the assistant referee did not see the goal and it was not clear and obvious. It was a missed call from the refs. It also should put into question having a goal-line technology. That way the refs can tell if it is clear and obvious. It is something MLS should look at bringing into the league.

The final factor was the missed opportunities Toronto had throughout the game. Most of their chances came in the first half. Shaffelburg came in as a substitute for the injured Tsubasa Endoh early in the game. He made a terrific play and made a pass to Achara in the 18-minute. However, the 19-minute was one of their best chances.

Shaffelburg did not aim at goal with his header, which should have been a shot on target. Then in the 42-minute, Shaffelburg received a cross from Marko Delgado. It was a terrific play. It is unfortunate though that Shaffelburg could not control the ball and put the ball into the back of the net. This resulted in a non-threatening shot that missed the target.

TFC did have two chances late in the second half. Most notably was in the 77-minute, when Yeferson Soteldo’s threatening shot missed the target. Then Soteldo’s shot in the 90+8-minute of play misses the target.

Toronto FC gave up a late goal in a gut-wrenching loss at BMO Field

Miami is now in fifth-place in the Eastern Conference and in a playoff position. This was a big win for Miami, even though it came with some controversy. They are now in the playoff picture with five wins in their six-game unbeaten run.

Unfortunately, for Toronto, their winless streak is now extended to nine games. They have also lost six straight games in a row, including a road loss to FC Cincinnati. Furthermore, Toronto head coach Javier Perez has yet to win a game since returning to BMO Field. They continue to be bottom-dwellers in MLS with 15 points. They are four points behind Austin FC and five points behind FC Cincinnati.

TFC will continue their homestand at BMO Field against Nashville SC on Saturday. The game will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally in Canada on TSN4. It will also be shown on MyTV30. Then TFC has an important quarterfinals Canadian Championship game at BMO Field against CPL side York United FC. The TTC derby will be shown live on OneSoccer at 7:30 p.m. ET.

This is while Miami will host the New York Red Bulls at DRV Park Stadium. The game will be on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Miami will continue their homestand against Nashville SC on Wednesday, September 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Both Miami games will be shown on MLS Live on DAZN. Additionally, the MIA-NSH game will be shown on My33, CW34, and MyTV30.

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