Inter Miami Vs Lafc: Son and Bouanga lead LAFC to 3-0 rout in season opener

The MLS season opener between LAFC and Inter Miami ended in a clear win for the home side, as LAFC beat the defending MLS Cup champions 3-0 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The match — an inter miami vs lafc headline fixture in front of 75, 673 fans — left Messi and Miami unable to break down a compact LAFC defense.

Son Heung-min sets up opener as Martinez finishes; timing of the goal varies in accounts

South Korean signing Son Heung-min, MLS' record signing and making the first full season start in Los Angeles, provided the assist that set up David Martínez's opening goal. One account places Martínez's finish in the 37th minute, while others list it in the 38th minute. Son was taken off late in the match to a rapturous ovation and was credited with the decisive pass that unlocked Miami's defense.

Denis Bouanga's second and the differing descriptions of his 73rd-minute strike

Denis Bouanga doubled LAFC's lead in the 73rd minute, but descriptions of the goal differ across accounts. One description says Timothy Tillman played a long pass over the top of the Miami defense that left new Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair stranded outside his penalty area, allowing Bouanga to take the ball round St. Clair and slot into an empty net. Another account describes Tillman’s pass from about 50 yards, with Bouanga meeting it and heading the ball over St. Clair into the net. A third description says Bouanga dinked the ball over the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Dayne St. Clair, and rolled it into the empty goal. The variations all agree the strike made it 2-0 and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Nathan Ordaz seals it in stoppage time from Bouanga's cross

After Bouanga was involved in the second goal, Nathan Ordaz came on and added a third in stoppage time, finishing from a Bouanga cross to make the score 3-0. The late goal completed LAFC’s victory and left Inter Miami with no reply in the closing moments.

Marc Dos Santos praises defensive work but flags possession; it was his first game in charge

LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos praised the team’s defensive preparation against Lionel Messi and highlighted the collective effort. He said the side prepared for the best Messi possible and emphasized the need to have numbers around the Argentine when he gets the ball, then follow late runs. Dos Santos rated the defensive part of LAFC’s game highly — using an "A-plus" description — but gave conflicting self-assessments of the team’s possession, with one account quoting him as giving possession a "D" and another describing it as a "B. " It was the coach’s first game as LAFC head coach, and he pointed to the squad’s ability to suffer together after a midweek trip: LAFC had earlier cruised to a 6-1 win at Real España in their 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One opener, and the first two scorers in Los Angeles had also found the net in that win.

Messi's return, Inter Miami's new-look XI and injury context

Lionel Messi, age 38, started for the reigning MLS Cup presented by Audi champions as he returned from a hamstring injury that forced the postponement of Miami's final preseason friendly in Puerto Rico on Feb. 13. The match was Messi's first competitive game of a year in which he is likely to lead Argentina’s defense of its World Cup title; his clearest opportunity came in first-half stoppage time when he narrowly missed a placed shot from the edge of the box. Other details show Messi did not manage a single shot on target during the match.

Coach Javier Mascherano named three debutantes in his starting lineup. Mexico international Germán Berterame led the line ahead of Messi; Brazilian arrival Micael started in the center of defense in front of new goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair; and Argentine full-back Facundo Mura was introduced at half-time, replacing Ian Fray. Mascherano noted the absence of longtime teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets following their retirements after December's MLS Cup triumph.

Mascherano says the scoreline was "misleading" despite a clear defeat; Miami's recent playoff form recalled

Mascherano acknowledged LAFC beat his team "fair and square, " but said his initial analysis left him feeling the 3-0 scoreline was somewhat misleading and that the game as it unfolded did not show a huge difference between the sides. He urged his coaching staff to analyze the full match rather than focus solely on the result. The Herons had dominated possession in one account, keeping 68 percent, yet produced only one big chance; Germán Berterame was largely held quiet and Messi was unable to make the decisive impact. The lineup changes came after a 2025 playoff run in which Miami scored 20 goals in six matches en route to the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.

Unusual venue and atmosphere: Coliseum crowd, pink shirts and cameras

The fixture was moved out of LAFC’s regular BMO Stadium to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, described in one account as a 100-year-old concrete venue, to accommodate the Messi effect. The match drew 75, 673 fans — cited as the second-highest attendance in league history and the second-highest attended MLS match ever — with widespread camera presence and pink shirts among the crowd, though fewer than some expected. Son's supporters were notably vocal on the night.