Toronto FC played their second last home match of the season on Saturday against Inter Miami, but supporters at the game would be forgiven for thinking TFC were actually the away side. Since the arrival of Lionel Messi in the MLS last summer, Inter Miami have completely stolen the spotlight, as evidenced by Saturday’s match. The average attendance at BMO Field for the Reds this season is just over 21,000 but this week the attendance was recorded at 28,855 as Messi and company rolled into town. It’s a pattern across the league, made none more obvious than Miami’s last fixture. NYCFC average an attendance of just over 20,000 in the MLS this season, but on Wednesday night they sold 40,485 tickets for their game against Inter Miami.
The seats at BMO, usually filled with red jerseys, were instead a collage of different football shirts from across the world. Walking through the concourse, I was met by Argentina shirts, Miami shirts, Barcelona shirts, and some shirts of clubs with no affiliation to TFC or Miami, fans of the sport just there to see a glimpse of one of the “GOATs.”
It’s no surprise of course that these fixtures sell so well, with a chance to see one of, if not the greatest player of all time, depending on your opinion. Inter Miami are hardly a one man show, however. Since last summer, World Cup winning midfielder and Argentine colleague Rodrigo De Paul made the move from Europe to join Miami. On top of that, Barcelona legends Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba now also represent the club as they enter the twilight of their careers. They are all managed by another legend of the sport, and former teammate of Messi, Javier Mascherano.
All this star power in one place meant ticket prices were driven up significantly. The cheapest seats for Saturday’s match cost supporters over $200, well up from the usual price. Comparatively, tickets for Toronto’s final game of the season against Orlando City are currently available for around $35.
One fan who bit the bullet and paid the steepened price was Alistair Urquhart, who was at BMO Field proudly sporting his Inter Miami Messi jersey. “I wouldn’t pay above the odds for any other Toronto game, but it’s probably the last chance I’ll get to see him play,” he said.
Fans like Urquhart, who were hoping to celebrate a Messi goal, had their parade rained on by TFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who made a handful of fine saves to keep Messi’s efforts out. Fellow Argentine forward Tadeo Allende heading home a Jordi Alba cross just before half time to give Miami the lead. Toronto responded in the second half with Djordje Mihailovic scoring from close range to level the scores at 1-1 and share the points. Inter Miami have already secured a place in the MLS playoffs; however Toronto sit twelfth in the Eastern Conference after a lacklustre season.
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