Luis Suarez said the reasoning behind signing a contract extension with Inter Miami was his competitive fire, refusing to go out after a frustrating 2025 season.
Suarez put pen to paper on a one-year contract extension with the Herons in January, joining captain Lionel Messi in committing their immediate futures to the MLS champions.
The 39-year-old joined Miami in December 2023 and has gone on to make 69 MLS appearances, scoring 33 goals and providing 21 assists for his team-mates.
Suarez also helped Miami win the Supporters' Shield in 2024, but after playing a supporting role last year, he has now re-emerged as a first-team regular.
Under interim manager Guillermo Hoyos, he already has four goal contributions (two goals, two assists), and he plans to add to that tally this weekend against Toronto FC.
"The decision comes from the realisation that you still have a little bit left in the tank, that the desire to keep competing is still there," Suarez said regarding his choice to play on.
"And, well, you can see it out on the pitch – I still get frustrated by defeats and misplaced passes, and you still savour those moments when you manage to score.
"I still have that adrenaline, that burning desire to keep playing. Like any player's career, not just mine, it goes through ups and downs."
Toronto, meanwhile, lost 3-1 against the reigning Canadian Premier League champions Atletico Ottawa in the preliminary round of the Canadian Championship in midweek.
That result followed a draw against the San Jose Earthquakes in their last MLS outing, a result that leaves them eighth in the Eastern Conference after 11 games.
Toronto boss Robin Fraser cut a frustrated figure following their Canadian Championship exit, acknowledging his team must be more aggressive to get the better of Miami.
"We need an aggressive mentality," Fraser said. "I thought on Tuesday we had opportunities to be aggressive, but for whatever reason on the day, we just were not.
"That's us being aggressive with the ball, without the ball, and I think intensity has been the calling card for this team throughout the season. And Tuesday felt like it wasn’t.
"It's something we've spoken about and even in training leading up to the game we have seen a spike in intensity, and I think without a doubt this group knows they have something to prove."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Toronto – Daniel Salloi
Salloi's goal against San Jose was his fourth of the MLS season, while he also has two assists, with that tally more goal contributions than any other Toronto player in 2026.
He also finished with team-high totals for touches in the opposition box (eight) and passes in the final third (14) against the Earthquakes, and he will be key for Toronto again here.
Inter Miami – Lionel Messi
Messi had a goal and an assist in Miami's 4-3 defeat to Orlando City SC last time out, which was the first time his club team has lost a match in which he recorded multiple goal contributions since November 2018.
The Argentine's teams (club and country) were unbeaten in the previous 117 matches in which he contributed to multiple goals (W108 D9).
MATCH PREDICTION: INTER MIAMI
Miami have lost only one of their last 12 matches against Toronto in all competitions (W9 D2) dating back to 2021, though the Reds managed to earn draws in each of the two meetings in 2025. Toronto are, however, winless in six matches against Miami since Messi made his MLS debut in 2023 (D2 L4).
And the Herons will be out for a response after becoming the third team in MLS history to lose a match in which they led by at least three goals, and the first since Los Angeles FC against the LA Galaxy in 2018.
Miami were also the first team in MLS history to lose a home match in which they held a three-goal lead.
Toronto, meanwhile, have lost only four of their last 21 regular-season matches dating back to the start of August (W4 D13), including just one of their last nine. Only the Vancouver Whitecaps (three) have lost fewer league matches over that time than Toronto (tied with three other teams).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Toronto – 27.9%
Draw – 23.7%
Inter Miami – 48.4%