Inter Miami Vs Lafc — Bouanga and Son lead LAFC to 3-0 season-opening win
In an MLS opening-day spectacle, the match labeled inter miami vs lafc finished 3-0 as LAFC dominated reigning MLS Cup champions Inter Miami in front of 75, 673 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The result matters because it was a loud, decisive start to the 2026 MLS season and marked Marc Dos Santos’s first game as LAFC head coach.
Inter Miami Vs Lafc at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum drew a historic crowd
The game was staged inside the 100-year-old Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum rather than LAFC’s usual BMO Stadium, with more than 75, 000 in attendance. That turnout of 75, 673 made it the second-highest attended MLS match ever. Organizers and fans noticed cameras everywhere, there were fewer pink shirts than expected, and observers said Son Heung-min supporters showed out in force.
David Martínez and Son Heung-min combined for the 38th-minute opener
LAFC opened the scoring when David Martínez finished in the 38th minute after a pass from Son Heung-min. Son provided the assist that set Martínez up for the opener. Martínez and Denis Bouanga had also both scored earlier in the week when LAFC won 6-1 at Real España in their 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One opener.
Denis Bouanga’s 73rd-minute goal — descriptions and nationality are unclear in the provided context
Denis Bouanga doubled LAFC’s lead in the 73rd minute. One account describes the Gabon international forward dinking the ball over 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair and rolling it into an empty net, sending the record-breaking crowd into a frenzy. Another account describes Bouanga as a Frenchman who met a 50-yard Timothy Tillman pass, headed the ball over Dayne St. Clair and into the net. Bouanga’s nationality and the exact mechanics of the finish are unclear in the provided context.
Nathan Ordaz sealed the win in stoppage time and Dos Santos reflected on the start
Nathan Ordaz added a stoppage-time goal to make it 3-0 and end any late suspense. After the match, Marc Dos Santos said it was good to win like that and still have margin to progress; he noted it was his first game as LAFC head coach and added, "Now we want to play and build the team. " Dos Santos also outlined the week’s schedule challenges: LAFC had played Tuesday in Honduras, took a very long flight, had one day of training and were nonetheless able to suffer as a team. He graded the defensive part of the performance highly as "A+, " while calling the possession "B" and saying the team can be much better in that area.
Inter Miami’s possession didn't translate to chances; key names were quiet
The Herons kept 68 percent possession on the night but produced only one big chance. New designated-player striker Germán Berterame was largely held quiet, and Lionel Messi did not register a single shot on target. That was notable given Inter Miami’s recent run: in their last official competition they stormed through the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, scoring 20 times in six games on their way to the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy. On LAFC’s side, Canadian international Stephen Eustáquio made his long-awaited MLS debut playing as a holding midfielder and was cited as central to LAFC’s efforts.
