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MLS review: Toronto FC decide to start over, Inter Miami continue to struggle

It was another eventful week in the MLS, where things came to a head at Toronto and Inter Miami still just can't get going at all.

Chris Armas didn't even last a full season in charge of Toronto FC as he was sacked on Sunday following the worst loss in franchise history, a 7-1 setback at D.C. United. The Reds won just once in their first 11 games of the 2021 season and are in last place in the Eastern Conference.
Armas took over from Greg Vanney in the off-season after the longtime TFC coach left for the LA Galaxy. They are dead last in the East at a -14 goal differential, and the leaky defense has allowed nine more goals than any other team in the conference.

Toronto have struggled all season, with Jozy Altidore playing in just four of the 11 games and only scoring one goal.

His rift with Armas was so bad the USMNT striker has been training on his own for the last month. Alejandro Pozuelo, the 2020 MLS MVP, has also started just two games with no goals, and Michael Bradley has one goal and one assist in 11 games.

Armas previously coached the New York Red Bulls winning 29 MLS games in two-plus seasons. He led the Red Bulls to the 2019 playoffs, where they lost in the first round.

He was sacked during the 2020 season after RBNY were eliminated in the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament, and then struggled when the regular season resumed in August.

Toronto FC will have assistant Javier Perez as the manager for Wednesday's game at first-place New England Revolution. According to Planet Sport Bet, New England is an 8/15 favorite in that game at Gillette Stadium. The struggling Reds are 17/4 with a draw at 10/3.

Miami shutout again

The Inter Miami CF offense continues to struggle, and on Saturday, they fell 1-0 to CF Montreal.

The game was played in New Jersey at Red Bull Arena since Montreal is not yet allowed to host games in Canada. Even playing in front of an empty stadium didn't tilt things in Miami's way.
Gonzalo Higuain and Rodolfo Pizarro didn't start for Phil Neville's side, but he added them in the second half when down 1-0. Higuain had the best chance to score, but his 88th minute shot at close range was saved. Ultimately they just didn't have enough offense and were shutout for the fourth time in the last five games, all losses.
The 4-3-3 doesn't seem to be working for Miami. They also weren't very aggressive on defense, allowing nearly 90% passing accuracy and five corners.

Miami has a full week off before they head back to Red Bull Arena for a July 17 game against New York Red Bulls.

The MLS Summer Transfer Window opens this week, and David Beckham's side needs some major help. They've been linked to both Willian but that deal looks unlikely to be completed this month.

Chicharito misses game, Galaxy fall

The MLS leading scorer, Chicharito, was a last-minute scratch on Independence Day and his LA Galaxy lost at home 2-0 to Sporting KC. With the win, SKC moved atop the table with 26 points, the same tally as Seattle Sounders, who drew 1-1 Sunday.

Chicharito, who was not named in Mexico's side for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup, injured his calf while warming up and was scratched from the starting lineup. The Galaxy are hopeful he will return soon as they slid into third place with the loss.
The Galaxy outshot SKC 9-1 in the first half but couldn't score as Tim Melia made five saves. Seaga Coulibaly also left the game injured in the first half, and the Galaxy had to play more defensive-minded the rest of the way.
John Russell broke the scoreless draw in the 81st minute, and Khiry Shelton secured all three points with a stoppage-time goal. Shelton showed his skill playing centrally in place of injured leading scorer Alan Pulido.

The Galaxy are next in action on Wednesday night at home against FC Dallas. Planet Sport Bet has the Galaxy 4/6 to grab the win, but that could change if Chicharito is ruled out. Dallas is at 16/5, and a draw is 31/10. Sporting KC doesn't play again until July 21, when they host San Jose.

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