Inter Miami stands just one victory away from breaking the record for most points earned in a single Major League Soccer regular season after a last-minute 1-0 win over Toronto FC on Saturday at BMO Field.

Forward Leonardo Campana broke the draw in the 93rd minute of the match when finding the back of the net off of a pass from teammate Luis Suárez, scoring his eighth goal of the season and propelling the Herons closer to history.

Despite the significance of the match, head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino chose to rest several key players and rotate the starting lineup after Miami secured the MLS Supporters’ Shield as the best regular-season team last week.

Suárez, Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets only entered the game late in the second half, but still managed to make a positive impact.

“Playing Suarez and Messi late is something that we defined on Friday,” said Martino. “It was logical that after two complete games, as most of them had played, we would make a rotation. It seemed to me that if I made the rotation, I should make it deep … and well we were able to meet the two objectives: one for the players to have some rest and the other to win the game, which is what we wanted.

“We wanted to start from what it represents, especially on a motivational level, and to be able to achieve the points record.”

The New England Revolution currently hold the MLS record after managing 73 points in 2021, but one more triumph in the final game of the campaign would propel Inter Miami to reach 74 points and set a new standard.

Fittingly, Miami will attempt to clinch the title when hosting New England on Oct.19 on the final day of the regular season at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Herons have already made history this season by winning the Supporters’ Shield, their first piece of MLS silverware since debuting as an expansion franchise in 2020.

The triumph also means Inter Miami will have home-field advantage for the entirety of the MLS playoffs.

“Having home-field advantage is amazing, especially with our fans. It’s the perfect situation for us,” said Inter Miami defender Ian Fray.

Miami will kick off the Round One best-of-three game at Chase Stadium on Oct. 25 against the winner of the Eastern Conference Wild Card match.

Right-handed pitcher Yonny Chirinos elected free agency on Friday, according to the official Minor League Baseball transaction log.

Chirinos spent 2024 on a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins, who selected his contract and called him up to the big leagues on June 19. He made six starts with the club before getting designated for assignment on July 23, and he was outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville after clearing waivers.

Because all of the 30-year-old veteran’s options have been used, and the Marlins didn’t add him back to their 40-man roster at the end of the season, he was eligible to elect free agency.

Chirinos went 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA, 1.867 WHIP, 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.1 WAR with Miami in 2024. During his time with Triple-A Jacksonville, however, Chirinos went 10-6 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.310 WHIP and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

That production alone makes Chirinos an viable candidate to provide organizational depth for another team, but he has a strong track record in the majors as well.

Chirinos was once the No. 21 prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays’ farm system entering 2018. He was a spot starter and long reliever for the club for the next three seasons, until he underwent Tommy John surgery midway through 2020.

After returning to the mound for a few MLB outings in 2022, Chirinos made it back to full strength in 2023. He was ultimately designated for assignment by the Rays that July, though, so starting pitcher Shane McClanahan and first baseman Yandy Diaz could come off the injured list.

Chirinos went 19-14 with a 3.64 ERA, 1.161 WHIP and 4.3 WAR across 64 appearances with the Rays, 33 of which were starts. His brief time with the Atlanta Braves didn’t go quite as well, considering he went 1-1 with a 9.27 ERA, 1.791 WHIP and -0.8 WAR in his five starts after getting claimed off waivers.

The Marlins have now had six players elect free agency since the regular season came to a close on Monday. Chirinos joins right-handed pitcher Matt Andriese, outfielder Cristian Pache, left-handed pitcher Kent Emanuel, shortstop José Devers and catcher Ali Sánchez.

On top of all of those players jumping ship heading into 2025, Miami is set to overturn its entire coaching staff and more than 70 organizational staffers. The Marlins finished dead last in the NL East at 62-100 this season, just one year removed from making the postseason.

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Inter Miami’s road trip continues as it plays its last regular season road game against Toronto FC at BMO Field.

The Herons are riding high after their 3–2 win over current MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew. Lionel Messi bagged a first-half brace that put Miami in the driver’s seat. The Crew made life difficult toward the end of the match, forcing Miami to hunker down and defend valiantly as goalkeeper Drake Callender came up with a huge penalty save.

Miami’s big four—Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets—all started and played the full 90 minutes Wednesday night. Toronto is still in the playoff picture but doesn’t possess the same quality that Columbus has.

Miami boss Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino shifted to a 3-4-3 formation from his usual 4-2-3-1 since the Herons were playing away from home with a more defensive setup. As Miami is on the road once again, Martino could look to utilize the same formation that got him three points against the Crew.

The south Florida team lifted its second trophy in club history, the Supporters’ Shield, after its win over Columbus, meaning Martino could look to rotate against an inferior side—or go strong as Miami is just two wins away from making MLS history.

GK: Drake Calleder—The USMNT reserve goalkeeper pulled off one of the biggest saves in his career to deny Cucho Hernández a second goal from the penalty spot to seal the Supporters’ Shield title for his team.

CB: Tomás Avilés—The young Argentinian returns to backline after missing out vs. Columbus due to yellow card accumulation.

CB: Sergio Busquets—Busquets is set to lead the backline once again, often stepping up into the midfield to kickstart attacking moves.

CB: Serhiy Kryvtsov—Martino could look to give the veteran center-back some valuable minutes to keep him sharp ahead of the postseason in case his number is called.

RWB: Marcelo Weigandt—Weigandt keeps his place in the team.

CM: David Ruiz—The Honduras international steps into the midfield due to Federico Redondo’s suspension for yellow card accumulation.

CM: Yannick Bright—The rookie midfielder continues to get better and better in each match.

LWB: Jordi Alba—Alba looks to add his 13th assist of the regular season in a bid to lead Miami to three points.

RW: Lionel Messi—Martino goes strong and starts the 37-year-old who is now firmly in the Landon Donovan MVP race with 17 goals in 17 league appearances.

ST: Luis Suárez—The Uruguayan continues his Golden Boot charge as his 18 goals are just four off of Christian Benteke’s 22.

LW: Diego Gómez—The Paraguay international continues to build up fitness with more minutes in the tank ahead of the playoffs.

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