Are Inter Miami CF panicking after their Florida Derby setback at home against Orlando City? Not as long as Guillermo Hoyos is in charge.
The interim manager fully backed his players and the club’s project ahead of Saturday’s Matchday 12 visit to Toronto FC (1 pm ET | Apple TV).
“I always highlight the good because we already know about the bad. So we have to correct it,” Hoyos told reporters on the eve of Miami’s trip to BMO Field. “They’re not bad things; they’re specific soccer-related things that happen… There’s no drama, and that’s what I want to convey: There’s no drama surrounding the loss.
“Obviously, it’s a clásico, a derby. But losses help the team to grow.”
Get-right game
There’s no better time than Saturday to show growth, especially after the 2025 MLS Cup presented by Audi champions suffered perhaps their most painful loss of the season.
After taking a commanding 3-0 lead, the Herons conceded four straight goals to Orlando, in the form of a Martín Ojeda hat trick and a second-half stoppage-time game-winner from Tyrese Spicer. The result dropped Miami to third place in the Eastern Conference and extended their winless streak at their recently christened home, Nu Stadium, to four games (0W-1L-3D).
“I always see the good side, not the bad side. And that good side was, for me, the first half, which was extraordinary,” Hoyos said of the club’s opening 45 minutes against Orlando, which included a 1g/2a performance from legendary No. 10 Lionel Messi.
"And that leads you to feed off that extraordinary football.”
Superstar striker Luis Suárez echoed that sentiment, setting his sights on a get-right performance at BMO Field.
“Obviously, a loss like that against an opponent we really wanted to beat at our stadium hurts,” Suárez said. “But that’s part of our profession. We have to keep training, work harder every day, and correct our mistakes so we don’t repeat them.
“We have to try to approach Saturday’s game in Toronto with the same energy we played the first 45 minutes the other day, which were very good.”
Wounded opponent
Miami will face a Toronto side that’s looking for a statement result of their own, as they seek to close out a 10-game home stand on a high note amid a six-match winless streak across all competitions.
That includes a shock 3-1 midweek defeat to Canadian Premier League Atlético Ottawa which eliminated the Reds from the 2026 Canadian Championship.
Add injuries to high-profile stars like club-record signing Josh Sargent, USMNT midfielder Djordje Mihailovic and Canadian international Richie Laryea, and Toronto appear arguably more vulnerable than the Herons right now.
“We’ve seen a united group, and that’s the most important thing,” Hoyos told IMCF media. “And it allows us to move on from this loss as quickly as possible to try to focus on the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the season.”
Without confirming a starting lineup for Saturday, Hoyos suggested that his first-choice XI will take the field against Toronto.
“When Inter play with Leo [Messi], Rodri [De Paul], Luis [Suárez] and all their stars, it’s truly something impactful for the fans and for the kids," Hoyos said.
"For me, it’s a unique spectacle, and it’s exciting."
