Toronto FC II Edges Inter Miami CF II, 2-1

June 26, 2024 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Toronto FC II News Release

Toronto FC II (5W-5L-2T, 17 points) defeated Inter Miami CF II (5W-6L-3T, 18 points) by a 2-1 scoreline to record their first come-from-behind victory of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season, courtesy of a pair of second-half goals at York Lions Stadium on Wednesday evening.

TFC II Head Coach Gianni Cimini made seven changes from the side that started against New York City FC II a fortnight ago with Adam Pearlman, Lazar Stefanovic, Theo Rigopoulos, Markus Cimermancic, Andrei Dumitru, Julian Altobelli and Charlie Sharp making way for Marko Stojadinovic, Ythallo, Mark Fisher, Lucas Olguin, Hassan Ayari, Matthew Catavolo and Dékwon Barrow.

Inter Miami CF II opened the scoring early through Ryan Carmichael with their first shot of the match in the 11th minute.

Mark Fisher, wearing the captain’s armband for the first time this season, almost drew TFC II level when his glancing header from Hassan Ayari’s free-kick crashed off the crossbar in the 38th minute, leaving his side trailing by one heading into the break.

The Young Reds flew out of the traps coming out of the half-time interval, responding with two quick-fire goals in the space of the three second-half minutes.

TFC II first found their equalizer when Miami’s Israel Boatwright nodded into his own net from Hassan Ayari’s corner delivery in the 49th minute.

Three minutes later, Lucas Olguin picked up Nathaniel Edwards’ well-timed run with a perfectly weighed through ball and the Brampton, Ontario native made no mistake with his finish to give his side their first lead of the night. The 52nd minute effort marked Edwards’ first goal for the Young Reds and Olguin’s first assist of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign.

Toronto’s defensive resolve was put to the test soon after but goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario was on hand to make a fantastic diving save to deny Ryan Carmichael’s goal-bound header in the 57th minute.

Despite the visitors’ best efforts to find an equalizer in the final 30 minutes, the Young Reds closed out the match in an efficient manner and nearly added a third through Mark Fisher in stoppage time, en route to securing the 2-1 victory and all three points at York Lions Stadium. With the performance, TFC II recorded their first come-from-behind victory of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season and the club’s first since beating New York Red Bulls II by a score of 2-1 at MSU Soccer Park on August 9, 2023.

Next up, the Young Reds return to host…