Inter Miami humbled as inter miami blanked 3-0 by LAFC in season opener
LAFC opened the 2026 MLS season with a 3-0 victory over inter miami in front of 75, 673 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Black & Gold took the win on Matchday 1 with goals from David Martínez, Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz.
Historic crowd at Coliseum
The match drew 75, 673 spectators to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a turnout described as record-breaking and the second-highest attended MLS match ever. Organizers moved the opener out of LAFC’s usual BMO Stadium into the century-old concrete Coliseum — a “100-year-old concrete monster” — to contain the Messi effect. Cameras were everywhere; pink shirts were present but fewer than expected. Son fans showed out in force.
David Martínez opener
David Martínez put LAFC ahead in the 38th minute after a pass from Son Heung-min, who provided the assist that opened the scoring. The goal gave LAFC a lead they would not relinquish and echoed the club’s strong start earlier in the week, when Martínez also scored in a 6-1 win at Real España in LAFC’s 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One opener.
Denis Bouanga impact
Denis Bouanga doubled the lead in the 73rd minute. Coverage of that goal contained two distinct descriptions: one account said Bouanga dinked the ball over 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair and rolled it into an empty net, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Another account described the Frenchman meeting a Timothy Tillman pass from 50 yards out and heading the ball to himself over Dayne St. Clair and into the net. Bouanga later reflected on Martínez’s progress: “We need to push [Martínez] in the field because he has strong quality, but now he has a changed mentality, too, ” Denis Bouanga said postmatch.
Nathan Ordaz seals it
Nathan Ordaz added the third goal in stoppage time, described as a dagger that sealed the result and sent the visitors home deflated. The three goals meant three points for LAFC as the Black & Gold completed their opening-day statement.
Marc Dos Santos and tactics
Marc Dos Santos, in his first game as LAFC head coach, praised the win and the team’s approach. “It’s good to win like this and still have so much margin to progress, ” he said after securing the victory in his first game as LAFC head coach. “Now we want to play and build the team. ” Dos Santos highlighted LAFC’s recent schedule as a positive factor: “A very positive thing is we played Tuesday in Honduras, ” he said, noting the long flight, one day of training and the team’s ability to “suffer as a team. ” He added a tactical assessment after the match: “When we prepared for the game, we prepared to face the best Messi possible. I think that part of our game today, 'A+. ' The part of possession, ‘B’, we can be much better, and we want to be much better. But our guys were a team, suffered together, were smart dealing with a lot of plays, and that’s important going forward. ”
Inter Miami possession but few chances
The Herons kept 68 percent possession on the night and entered the fixture as reigning MLS Cup presented by Audi champions after a run in which they scored 20 times in six games during the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs on the way to the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy. Despite the dominance of the ball, inter miami produced only one big chance. New DP striker Germán Berterame was largely held quiet, and Lionel Messi did not manage a single shot on target. Inter Miami produced moments — “every touch got a reaction” and intermittent danger — but the goals never came.
Canadian international Stephen Eustáquio made his long-awaited MLS debut for LAFC as a holding midfielder and was cited as central to LAFC’s effort, alongside South Korean forward Son Heung-min, whose assist set up Martínez’s opener. The Black & Gold largely absorbed pressure, stayed compact and then struck when openings appeared.
Three goals. Three points. The win marked a forceful start to the 2026 MLS season for LAFC and a sobering opening for the defending champions.
