Inter Miami CF II took to the road on Wednesday night and defeated Toronto FC II 4-3 at York Lions Stadium.
The starting eleven for Darren Powell’s squad featured: Andre Zuluaga in goal; Logan Batiste, Tyler Hall, Abel Caputo, and Noah Allen manning the defense; Benja Cremaschi, Lawson Sunderland, and George Acosta in the midfield; Shaan Hundal, Shanyder Borgelin, and Tyler Bagley at the top of the attack.
Both teams eased into the match in the opening minutes. While Inter Miami found the first and second shots on goal, it was Toronto FC who opened the scoring.
In the 41st minute, a Toronto FC II counterattack saw Hugo Mbongue find a streaking Jordan Perruzza who sent a chip shot over the head of Zuluaga giving Toronto the 1-0 lead.
Minutes later, Inter Miami CF II was awarded a free kick just outside of the 18-yard-box. As the visitors attempted to even the score before the end of the first 45 minutes, Acosta lined up but his attempt sailed just high of goal, allowing Toronto FC II to maintain the 1-0 lead heading into the halftime intermission.
The same eleven remained on the pitch for both sides to begin the second half. With playoff implications on the line, both clubs started the second half much more aggressively than the first and there was no shortage of the back and forth narrative that we saw during the first forty five.
The visitors tied it up in the 49th when Acosta sent a cross to Borgelin. The shot was parried away into the path of a streaking Hundal who found the back of the net.
Minutes later, Toronto FC II answered back, regaining the lead in the 51st minute when Kadin Chung ran up to a loose ball and unleashed a 30-yard rocket giving Toronto the 2-1 lead.
Four minutes later, it was Inter Miami II leveling the scoresheet as Hundal received a pass from Bagley, took one touch and fired his second goal into the back of the net to make it 2-2.
Continuing to attack the Toronto defense Bagley played a cross into the box that found Borgelin who continued to make his impact on the game felt as he played a header towards a determined Cremaschi who redirected the ball on frame to give Inter Miami the 3-2 lead.
After the Inter Miami CF II finish, Toronto made three substitutions with Reshaun Walkes, Kobe Franklin, and Paul Rothrock entering the match. The newly inserted Rothrock made an immediate impact as he finished a corner kick sent in by Themi Antonoglou to once again even the scoresheet, this time at 3-3.
Finally, in the 86th minute, Inter Miami took the lead for the final time as Borgelin’s shot ricocheted off the back of a Toronto defender and into the back of the net to give the Herons a 4-3 advantage.
The visitors were able to close out the match and the victory keeps Inter Miami CF II's MLS NEXT Pro playoff hopes alive. The team will wrap up regular-season play against Chicago Fire II on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 3 p.m. E.T. The match will be streamed on mlsnextpro.com.
