Inter Miami's hopes of topping the Eastern Conference took a blow after they drew 1-1 away to Toronto FC at BMO Field.

The visitors found the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time following a strong header from Tadeo Allende, but an equaliser from Djordje Mihailovic and a string of stunning saves from Sean Johnson saw Toronto hold on for a point.

The Herons went close on two occasions in the opening 30 minutes, but Johnson first turned away a curling effort from Baltasar Rodriguez before repelling Lionel Messi's strike from the edge of the box.

Luis Suarez was the next to see an effort stopped by Johnson, but the 26-year-old goalkeeper could do nothing when Allende timed his run perfectly to get on the end of a pinpoint cross from Jordi Alba.

However, Toronto found a leveller on the hour-mark after a quick start to the second period. Rodriguez failed to clear the ball away for Miami, allowing Richie Laryea to get to the byline and find Mihailovic with a well-placed cutback. 

The game slowly opened up as the minutes ticked by, with Messi failing to beat Johnson with two further attempts while Toronto's counter-attacks looked threatening, but both sides had to settle for just a point.

Data Debrief: Toronto, specialists in stalemates

Despite the attacking quality of Messi, Suarez, Alba and Rodrigo De Paul, Johnson stood firm and made five crucial saves to help Toronto avoid defeat in front of their home fans.

The Herons accumulated 1.47 expected goals (xG) from six shots on target compared to Toronto's 0.65 from two attempts on goal.

The hosts also became the first team in MLS history to draw seven consecutive regular-season matches in MLS, surpassing the previous records set by the Chicago Fire (2014), the Colorado Rapids (2011) and the San Jose Earthquakes (2004-05, all six).