LAFC Dominates Inter Miami 3-0 in Season Opener, Messi Faces Tough Start to Title Defense
LOS ANGELES — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami suffered a 3-0 defeat against Los Angeles FC on Saturday night in the MLS season opener, marking a challenging start to their Major League Soccer Cup title defense. Goals from David Martínez, Denis Bouanga, and Nathan Ordaz secured a convincing victory for LAFC.
A Statement Win for LAFC
The match, held at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and attended by 75,673 fans – the second-largest crowd in MLS history – saw LAFC assert their dominance early on. Son Heung-min assisted Martínez’s opening goal, highlighting LAFC’s ambition to challenge Miami’s championship reign.
“This game is always special given that Messi played, and we have some (desire) to want to beat Miami because Messi is there,” Bouanga said. “Every player, the mentality is so high for this game. It’s high for all games, but maybe this game is more high than another mentality.”
Record Crowd and League Ambitions
MLS Commissioner Don Garber emphasized the significance of the event, stating, “This game would have sold out five times at BMO, but we wanted to do something special. This is a seminal year in the history of our sport and a big moment in the history of our league, so why not go into this historic stadium, bring Miami here, our champion, and have them play against LAFC?”
Messi’s Performance and Team Adjustments
Despite dealing with a strained hamstring earlier in the month, Messi played the full match, drawing cheers and boos from the California crowd. However, he was unable to find the back of the net, failing to register a shot on target. Inter Miami is navigating changes within the team, having lost key players Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to retirement, and integrating new additions like forward Germán Berterame and goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
A positioning mistake by St. Clair contributed to Bouanga’s goal, underscoring the challenges Inter Miami faces in solidifying its new lineup.
LAFC’s Commanding Performance
LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos, in his MLS debut, praised his team’s defensive performance. “They place us (under) a lot of pressure, but we defended really well,” Dos Santos said. “I don’t think we conceded big chances. There were these half-chances, but overall … I think that part of our game today, A-plus. The part of (our) possession, B. We can be much better, and we want to be much better, but our guys were a team.”
Martínez opened the scoring in the 38th minute, capitalizing on a pass from Son. Bouanga extended LAFC’s lead in the 73rd minute, converting a long pass from Timothy Tillman. Ordaz sealed the victory in second-half injury time with a goal assisted by Bouanga.
Looking Ahead
LAFC’s win improves their record against Inter Miami to 4-2-0 and maintains their unbeaten streak in season openers at 9-0-0. Inter Miami will next face Orlando City on March 1, while LAFC will host Real España in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup on Tuesday.