LOS ANGELES — Defending MLS Cup champions Inter Miami kicked off their title defense with a disappointing 3-0 loss to LAFC at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday.
In a matchup featuring two of MLS‘s biggest stars, witnessed by the second-largest crowd in league history of 75,673, it was LAFC’s Son Heung-Min who shone brightest against Miami and Lionel Messi.
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Son, who holds the record as MLS’ top signing, made a significant impact in his first full season in Los Angeles, assisting David Martínez‘s opening goal in the 37th minute.
Miami mounted an effort for an equalizer throughout the second half, but LAFC struck again, extending their lead. A long pass from Timothy Tillman caught Miami off guard, leaving new goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair stranded and allowing Denis Bouanga to round him and slot the ball into an open net.
After Son exited the match to a great ovation, his substitute, Nathan Ordaz, added a third goal in stoppage time, converting from a cross by Bouanga.
Messi, who played his first competitive match of the year in which he is expected to help Argentina defend its World Cup title, struggled to make an impact. His best opportunity came in first-half stoppage time, but the 38-year-old just missed the target while attempting to place a shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Messi started the match after recovering from a hamstring injury that had led to the postponement of Miami’s final preseason friendly on February 13 in Puerto Rico.
In the postgame press conference, LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos remarked, “When we prepared for the game, we anticipated facing the best version of Messi. We knew we needed to have numbers around him and to make late runs when he got the ball… I think we executed that part of our game extremely well today, but we have room to improve in terms of possession.”
Messi was leading a revamped Miami squad that was without longtime teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, who retired following December’s MLS Cup win.
Coach Javier Mascherano included three debutants in his starting eleven; Mexico international Germán Berterame spearheaded the attack alongside Messi, while new Brazilian signing Micael took the central defensive role in front of St. Clair.
Another newcomer, Argentine full-back Facundo Mura, was introduced at halftime, replacing Ian Fray.
Despite the heavy defeat to open the season, Mascherano felt the scoreline didn’t accurately reflect the match’s dynamics. “The truth is they beat us convincingly, but my initial thoughts suggest the result might be a bit misleading,” he told reporters. “Throughout the game, I didn’t feel there was a significant difference between the teams.”
He added, “As coaches, we have to analyze the performance rather than focus solely on the result, as basing decisions on wins and losses is not a sustainable approach.”
LAFC played their first MLS match since being eliminated from the previous season’s playoffs by the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Western Conference semifinals, marking the first league match under Dos Santos.
The former Vancouver head coach and long-time LAFC assistant previously led his team to a 6-1 victory against Real España in the Concacaf Champions Cup earlier this week in Honduras.
Contributions to this report were made by ESPN’s Cesar Hernandez and The Associated Press.