A club-record crowd of 62,358 packed into Soldier Field for the visit of Lionel Messi and his Inter team to witness a gutsy display from the home side.
Veteran Haiti international Fafa Picault headed in the winning goal in the 89th minute to give Miami a precious victory that extended their unbeaten start to the season.
Messi provided the assists for both Miami's goals including the leveler which came in the 10th minute of stoppage time.
"Messi has been the type of boost that MLS has needed. The issue for MLS has been attracting stars at the end of their career," said Andrew Zimbalist, a professor at Smith College and co-author of National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World Plays Football.
More than 11 million fans have flocked to Major League Soccer games this season, the league said Monday, breaking the previous record of 10.9 millions fans who attended games in 2024.
Miami started with all their big-name stars, including Lionel Messi, on the bench but the Argentine was introduced in the 61st minute to the delight of many in the Toronto crowd.
Expecting massive fan interest, MLS announced Thursday that the opener will be livestreamed for free on Apple TV and aired as it happens on the gargantuan 25,000-square-foot video screen at Times Square in New York.
Inter Miami's charge towards Major League Soccer's single-season points record suffered a setback on Saturday after a last-gasp injury-time equalizer from James Sands snatched a 1-1 draw for New York City FC against the Eastern Conference leaders.
Lionel Messi is set to return to action with his club Inter Miami on Saturday after spending over two months out with an ankle injury, Miami coach Gerardo Martino said on Friday.
Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, a former Barcelona, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Ajax star, will join Inter Miami for the 2024 season, the MLS club announced on Friday.
Messi and Ronaldo, who have faced each other more than 30 times in their careers, have won 13 Ballon d'Or awards between them, with the Argentine leading that race eight to five.
"Lionel Messi had many options for the next chapter of his iconic soccer career. The magnitude of his decision to join MLS cannot be over-stated," Garber said.
Lionel Messi has been named Time magazine's "Athlete of the Year" for 2023 after a trailblazing season marked by an eighth Ballon d'Or award and his ground-breaking move to Major League Soccer's Inter Miami.
In a recent interview in his home country of Argentina pertaining to his availability for the 2026 World Cup, soccer superstar Lionel Messi called Major League Soccer -- his current home -- "a minor league."
Leading goal scorer Denis Bouanga and Most Valuable Player Luciano Acosta were among the MLS Best 11 players named on Tuesday by the league as the top men at their positions.
Inter Miami says it has not agreed to compete in Saudi Arabia next February, refuting the claims by a promoter announced earlier Tuesday that the MLS team would face two Saudi clubs.
Inter Miami saluted Argentine star Lionel Messi's eighth Ballon d'Or on Friday, but their friendly match to mark the achievement ended in a 2-1 loss to MLS rivals New York City FC.
Lionel Messi returned to the starting lineup but couldn't prevent his first MLS season from ending in defeat as Charlotte FC beat Inter Miami 1-0 in front of a crowd of 66,101 at Bank of America Stadium.
Pep Guardiola says Lionel Messi should have his own category at the Ballon d'Or but admitted the World Cup winner and Manchester City hotshot Erling Haaland would both be deserving winners of the prize.
