LOS ANGELES — A reloaded Inter Miami opens its title defense Saturday night against LAFC, carrying the weight that comes with being the reigning MLS Cup champion and, of course, the team everyone wants to see.
That mostly has to do with one Lionel Messi, the two-time MLS MVP and World Cup winner who has turned Miami into not just the league’s main attraction, but also its most valuable franchise. The pink-clad visitors arrive as betting favorites to repeat, but before any talk of trophies, they’ll start the season thousands of miles from home, in front of an expected crowd of more than 60,000 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
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Yes, that Coliseum. The historic home of USC football that sits right next door to LAFC’s much cozier BMO Stadium. It’s the first MLS regular-season game ever played there, and it was moved to accommodate the Messi effect.
Messi, coming off another ridiculous year, enters 2026 with one eye on another World Cup run with Argentina, which means Miami will be careful early in the season. Still, when he’s on the field, he changes everything — for opponents, for stadiums, and for the league.
And so the season begins here, under the bright lights, in a building that’s seen just about everything.
Follow all of the action below.
Live7 updates
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 6:50 PM PST
Bouanga brilliantly cut through the Miami defense to feed the run of Son, who had a 1-on-1 with St. Clair but couldn’t find the shot. He sends it back Bouanga who one times it, forcing the save from St. Clair.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 6:45 PM PST
De Paul chips the ball flying into the box toward a streaking Messi, but Lloris is there to thwart the attack as he falls on top of it.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 6:41 PM PST
We are underway from the Coliseum. It’s a battle of two of the top teams in MLS and could give us a glimpse of how the season will unfold. And it’s only Matchday 1.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 6:30 PM PST
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 6:20 PM PST
Inter Miami: Dayne St. Clair; Ian Fray, Maximiliano Falcon, Micael, Noah Allen; Rodrigo De Paul, Yannick Bright; Mateo Silvetti, Lionel Messi, Telasco Segovia; German Berterame.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 6:14 PM PST
LAFC: Hugo Lloris; Sergi Palencia, Nkosi Tafari, Ryan Porteous, Eddie Segura; Timothy Tillman, Stephen Eustaquio, Marco Delgado; David Martinez, Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 6:09 PM PST
Armando Botello II
Hello and welcome to Yahoo Sports’ live coverage of LAFC vs. Inter Miami. We’re live from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and will drop updates right here.