Toronto FC lost 3-1 to Inter Miami CF on Wednesday night at Chase Stadium.

TFC were on the front foot in the opening half, but it was Miami’s Diego Gómez who opened the scoring in the 43rd minute when a Federico Redondo long ball played him in behind and his blast beat Sean Johnson.

Redondo then added two more on the other side of half-time, one from a Julian Gressel free-kick and then capping off a Miami move that began with a Toronto turnover with Gómez returning the earlier favour with the set up.

TFC would pull one back in the 80th minute through Derrick Etienne Jr, from a sweeping move of their own that saw three substitutes combine: Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty playing a pair of one-twos with Prince Owusu and then Kosi Thompson before finding Etienne in space on the left where his low shot beat Drake Callender in the Miami goal.

It was a night where chances not taken at one end – Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi were both denied and Deandre Kerr sent one wide – left the game in the balance and Miami then took theirs.

“First half we missed some big opportunities, that was the gap,” said John Herdman post-match. “When I look at the stats overall, it's ten shots to eight, five shots on goal to our four, we had more possessions, more passes, more corners, but they post three goals and we post one. We have to take our chances, that's a big one.”

“And then it's just energy,” he continued. “Half-time sapped us a bit. The players come out after half-time and you can just see there was a level of heaviness in the legs, particularly of some players that have done some big minutes. [Miami] caught us with their freshness.”

“It's not like they had a period where it’s shot after shot, cross after cross. It's a cheap set-piece, a really cheap set-piece. The first goal was poor and then the second goal was poor again. A key goal in a key moment, that just saps the energy of the players as they're trying to push,” Herdman explained. “That little period, 15-minute period, it cost us. It felt like we were there still. If you just look at the game from box to box, they did better in their box with keeping the ball out of the back of the net and finishing and we didn't do well enough in those moments.”

Said Etienne: “We did a good job creating some good chances; we’ve got to do better to put them away.”

“And then just some lack of focus on the goals that we gave up really cost us,” he continued. “When you're playing a top team like Miami, you can't give up breakaways and easy chances like that. Credit to them for capitalizing on their chances, but we have to do better in both boxes.”

With Jonathan Osorio and Richie Laryea back from Copa América, Herdman fielded a strong XI to start the match and it showed. Toronto were in control for large stretches and had the better of the chances.

“We were able to dominate the ball for long periods in the first half, we were able to set some problems for them tactically, which meant we could get some pitch control,” said Herdman. “We said that was going to be important to us. It couldn't be a game that we played direct and then give them the opportunity to dominate the ball because it would've just sapped us. We needed to dominate the ball tonight in periods.”

“First half and periods of the second, the lads did well in that space, stopped Miami getting into that rhythm they want to get in,” he continued. “It wasn't really a game where they were killing us in transition. We were right there tonight.”

Miami’s goal came from their first shot on goal.

“It’s football, isn't it? You get caught like that,” said Herdman. “Credit to the lads, they’re playing a high line in Miami, they're trying to live an identity where they were imposing themselves, so I've got to tip my hat to that.”

“You've got Longy [Kevin Long], Nicksoen [Gomis], Richie, Raoul Petretta playing in the back four for the first time this season – first time they've played together for weeks as a combination. I can't complain too much,” he continued. “They were able to keep that xG to next to nothing in the whole first half.”

Playing the sixth game since June 29, in the south Florida heat, the first goal was always going to be of consequence.

“Very disappointing,” said Etienne. “Giving up a goal, almost a little bit against the run of play, and how close it was to half-time.”

“We have to do a better job,” he continued. “Just little things we have to be better at as a team. It's very disappointing to give up a goal like that because of how well we kept them at bay.”

Miami came out of half-time with more energy and stung Toronto with two quick goals before a quadruple sub brought fresh legs into the fray.

“It was a wonderful goal,” said Herdman of Etienne’s strike. “The shift into that group, tactically it took them five minutes to adjust, but once they adjusted to the pace of things their pressing was good, their commitment to get forward.”

“Kosi, Jahkeele, Matty Longstaff, and Prince, they did really well coming into the game,” he continued. “We were stretched. They got most of their shots and big chances in the last eight minutes of the game, but we had to throw caution to the wind in that moment.”

Toronto has little time to prepare for the next one as they face CF Montréal in Quebec.

“We’ll fix some things. We’ll fix our set-pieces and move forward,” said Herdman. “It's a period of time we've got to address with the lads to look at mentally how we stay stronger, collectively, tactically how we adjust to manage these tougher periods. We will own this together and next task on to Montréal.”

“Every goal is preventable, some are easier than others, we’ll get to work,” he added. “We’ve got two days to get ready for Montreal. Massive game. Six-pointer. We'll get after it.”

The next few weeks will be about building some consistency now that the side is the closest to full strength they have been all season.

“It's going to be very good to be able to get the continuity and the chemistry going between the guys,” anticipated Etienne. “It's going to be very important for guys to get 75, 90 minutes together and being able to solidify a group that's ready to go.”

“When we get that, you'll see that the quality is there,” he continued. “I don't think the back line that played today played with each other. I don't think the front two have played together. I don't think the midfield have played together. So to be able to put some of the performance into it on the fly was good. Once you get guys playing three, four, five games together, you'll see the true quality of the group.”

Bring on the derby.

“It comes at the right time,” said Etienne. “We want to get back to winning ways and I don't think there is any better way than getting a win in the derby.”

“We beat them at home, we came out with the right mentality; I'm sure they're going to want to rectify that, but we have to match that intensity, be able to put this loss behind us, be able to regroup, recover, and get ready for the game this weekend,” he closed. “It's a very, very important game. Not just for standings, but to the fans. We understand how much it means to them. If we get this win it can definitely jump start a good Leagues Cup and we'll see where it goes from there.”