The 2026 MLS season kicked off in spectacular fashion Saturday night, but it was Los Angeles FC—not Inter Miami CF—that stole the spotlight with a commanding 3-0 victory in front of 75,673 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
In a marquee showdown featuring global superstar Lionel Messi, LAFC delivered a statement performance to open the season, reinforcing its status as a legitimate MLS Cup contender.
The breakthrough came in the 38th minute thanks to a moment of brilliance from Son Heung-min, who weaved through traffic before threading a precise pass to David Martínez. The 20-year-old forward made no mistake, calmly slotting the ball into the far bottom corner to give LAFC a deserved lead.
Martínez, a rising Venezuelan talent, has been slowly finding his footing in MLS, but his opener showcased why the club believes he can become a cornerstone of its attack.
LAFC continued to press in the second half, and its persistence paid off in the 73rd minute through Denis Bouanga. Fresh off a hat trick in CONCACAF Champions Cup play, Bouanga displayed his elite finishing ability by chasing down a long ball from Timothy Tillman, deftly heading it over Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair before finishing the play to double the advantage.
The exclamation point came deep into stoppage time when Nathan Ordaz converted a centering pass from Bouanga, capping off a dominant night for the home side.
Despite the loss, much of the attention remained on Messi, who played through a recent hamstring strain. Every touch from the Argentine icon drew a mix of cheers and boos from the massive Southern California crowd, which marked the second-largest attendance in MLS history.
However, Miami’s attack struggled to find rhythm. The departures of longtime Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have left a noticeable void, and the integration of new additions like Germán Berterame and goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair remains a work in progress. A costly positioning error from St. Clair contributed directly to LAFC’s second goal, underscoring the team’s early-season growing pains.
The victory also marked a successful league debut for LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos, who becomes the third head coach in club history. Already riding momentum from a 6-1 CONCACAF Champions Cup win over Real España earlier in the week, LAFC looks sharp, cohesive, and dangerous.
The club improved to 4-2-0 all-time against Inter Miami and maintained its perfect record in season openers at 9-0-0.
Inter Miami will look to regroup quickly as it heads on the road again for a Florida showdown against Orlando City on March 1. Meanwhile, LAFC returns to action Tuesday night, hosting Real España in the second leg of its CONCACAF Champions Cup matchup.
If the season opener is any indication, LAFC has no intention of playing second fiddle in the MLS title race—and Inter Miami may have more work to do than expected in its quest to defend the crown.
