‘It’s not me against Messi’: Toronto FC focused on big picture vs. Miami

TORONTO — Winless in six video games throughout all competitions, Toronto FC faces the unenviable activity of internet hosting Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon.

Messi had 29 objectives in 28 video games final season en path to being named the league’s MVP and guiding the Herons to their first MLS Cup, and he is in high quality kind as soon as once more this yr. The World Cup winner and eight-time FIFA world participant of the yr has eight objectives and a pair of assists in 10 matches to start the 2026 marketing campaign, and he is coming off a efficiency final week through which he had three aim contributions in a 4-3 residence loss to Orlando City.

But the Argentine ace has been comparatively muted in 4 earlier contests against Toronto with only one aim, elevating hopes that TFC can earn their first win since April 4.

What’s the important thing to stopping “the best who’s ever played the game,” as Toronto coach Robin Fraser put it?

“I take into consideration the outdated Michael Jordan expression: you’ll be able to’t cease him; we will solely hope to comprise him. I feel that the identical may very well be mentioned [about Messi]. …Certainly, it’s important to take note of him and know the place he’s and defend him very well,” Fraser defined.

It’s a sentiment echoed by veteran center-back Walker Zimmerman, who’ll be entrance and heart on Saturday making an attempt to restrict the havoc wreaked by Messi.

Zimmerman, a two-time MLS defender of the yr earlier than becoming a member of TFC final low season as a free agent, has first-hand expertise dealing with Messi throughout his time together with his earlier membership, 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 mentioned.

“Certainly, there are going to be times where he’s going to make great plays. He’s a great player. There are going to be moments that we’re going to have to defend and scramble a little bit to make a big play, because he’s going to create some chances, for sure.”

At the identical time, the American defender cautions you can’t spend your total time focusing on Messi. It’s about containing Messi whereas additionally not dropping sight of the big picture, particularly as a result of Miami has so many different harmful attacking weapons at its disposal, together with 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 mentioned.

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 dangerous, so you can’t just then put too much focus on one player.”

Messi all the time attracts big crowds at any time when Inter Miami hits the street, and Saturday’s contest will probably be no exception.

BMO Field usually seats simply over 28,000 followers, however its capability has been expanded to 45,736 seats with the addition of two non permanent stands totaling 17,000 seats, because the stadium will probably be one of many host venues for this summer time’s FIFA World Cup.

The stands on the north and south ends of the stadium will probably be opened up for the primary time on Saturday to accommodate the throng of followers hoping to catch a glimpse of Messi.

If historical past is any indication, this weekend’s contest will find yourself feeling like a street recreation for Toronto, as soccer followers sporting Messi jerseys will descend on the stadium and let their voices be heard in assist of the Argentinian famous person.

“It’s interesting in a lot of places, because you’ll see a lot of opponents’ jerseys, and it’s a little bit weird playing a game at home when you feel like sometimes they’re showing up for a different reason. But you’ve got to put that aside and hope that your home crowd still cares about your team, and they care about your result, and we’ve got to give them that motivation to root for us,” Zimmerman mentioned.

“We’ve got to use that energy to our advantage and try and come out with a fast start, because the bigger the crowd, the bigger the moment; it becomes harder when you’re on the losing side during that match, you want to have the momentum. You want to be the team that’s playing in front, because it’s easier to handle that pressure.”

Elsewhere in MLS this weekend…

• It’s a battle of the highest two groups in MLS on Saturday evening when the Vancouver Whitecaps go to the San Jose Earthquakes. The Whitecaps sit second general within the league desk, three factors behind San Jose with a recreation in hand, however they will overtake the Earthquakes with a win at PayPal Park. Vancouver (8-1-1) is unbeaten in 5 video games (4 wins) whereas its lone blemish on the season got here in a 1-0 residence loss to San Jose final month. The Earthquakes are using a six-game unbeaten run (5 wins).

• CF Montreal will look to get again on monitor after they host Orlando City on Saturday. Montreal (3-7-0) sits in second-last place within the Eastern Conference and is coming off a 3-1 street loss to Atlanta United in league play final weekend. Scoring continues to be a difficulty for Montreal because it has simply 14 objectives throughout its opening 10 video games. German striker Prince Owusu has accounted for six of these objectives, or 43 per cent of the workforce’s offensive manufacturing.