LOS ANGELES — On a night when the visitors were seemingly the main attraction, the home team stepped up to defend its turf. Even though it wasn’t actually its home turf.
In what felt like the main event of Matchday 1 of the 2026 MLS season, LAFC upset reigning champion Inter Miami, 3-0, in front of over 75,673 fans inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
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This was a very on-brand win over Inter Miami, because that’s what LAFC does. David Martínez scored the opener, with Son Heung-min providing the assist that made it all feel so simple. As if winning was never in the cards for Inter Miami.
Denis Bouanga added another in the 73rd minute with a moment of sheer brilliance to double the lead. The Frenchman played a majestic Timothy Tillman pass from 50 yards out to perfection and headed it to himself over the head of Dayne St. Clair into the net.
Then it was Nathan Ordaz who stepped up in stoppage time to seal the deal and send the visitors home deflated.
This wasn’t a normal LAFC home opener. MLS dragged the game out of LAFC’s cozy BMO Stadium and into a 100-year-old concrete monster just to contain the Messi effect. More than 75,000 showed up. Cameras everywhere. Pink shirts too, but fewer than expected. Son fans, meanwhile, showed out and basically won the night.
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The opener was supposed to be about the defending champs. The repeat talk. The gravity of Messi bending the league toward Miami.
And of course, Messi was Messi. Every touch got a reaction. Every drift inside felt like it might end someone’s evening. Inter Miami looked exactly like a team that knows the season is long and the World Cup clock is already ticking.
LAFC did not care.
The Black and Gold stayed compact. They stayed patient. And when the opening came, Son slipped Martínez through, and Martínez finished like the script wasn’t his responsibility. Bouanga met the moment with finesse before Ordaz unleashed a finishing move to cap the win.
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LAFC did what it does: absorb, disrupt, frustrate. Miami had the ball. Messi had moments. The goals never came.
So the season began in a stadium that’s hosted Olympics, Super Bowls and just about everything else. But on this night, the league’s biggest attraction still got upstaged.
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Here’s how the action unfolded in real time:
Live coverage is over27 updates
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 8:44 PM PST
That’s a wrap from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 8:40 PM PST
Nathan Ordaz adds another one and this has turned into a rout. A clear cut win in every way for the home side.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 8:34 PM PST
Attendance is 75,673, the most attended opening weekend match in MLS history and the second highest attendance of any match all time.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 8:33 PM PST
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 8:23 PM PST
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 8:21 PM PST
Bouanga played a Tilman pass absolutely perfectly on the counterattack. With a quick flick over the head of St. Clair he rebounded his self-pass and directed the ball into the net for the two-goal lead. That could be it for the home team after a brilliant pass from Tilman and a finesse finish from the Frenchman.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 8:13 PM PST
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 8:11 PM PST
Berterame gets his best chance of the night with a wide open shot mere feet away from Lloris but sends it wide right instead.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 8:07 PM PST
Depaul’s cross finds Berterame in the box, however, Porteous dives in front of it to send it out of bounds with a dangerous header.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 7:53 PM PST
The second half is underway!
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 7:45 PM PST
Armando Botello II
The opener may have been meant to be about the reigning champs, the repeat talk, the gravity of Messi bending the league toward Miami. Instead, LAFC owned the first half. Not just with the goal, but with 10-3 total shots, 3 of which were on target with just 1 for Miami. An upset for the reigning champs is brewing. How will they respond?
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 7:36 PM PST
Messi nearly equalizes after being thrown to the ground. He quickly hopped up and found the ball in front of him 20 yards away from Lloris and sent it sailing.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 7:32 PM PST
On nearly the exact same set up, Bouanga finds a streaking Martinez for a 1-on-1, only this time Martinez’s curler goes just wide of the far post. LAFC nearly took a two-goal lead into halftime.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 7:22 PM PST
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 7:20 PM PST
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 7:18 PM PST
LAFC gets on the board first thanks to a mistake by Miami. Tilman forced the turnover, but it was Son who capitalized with an assist to Martinez. The young Venezuelan curled the ball past St. Clair and into the far left corner of the goal to put the home squad ahead.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 7:08 PM PST
It’s Bouanga again sending in a stealth cross right in front of St. Clair, but Martinez can’t get his foot on it.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 7:03 PM PST
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 6:59 PM PST
Bouanga again slices through the Miami defense with a pass to Tilman inside the box. Tilman’s goal opportunity was quickly nixed, however, as Falcon slid in front of it and deflected it out.
Sat, February 21, 2026 at 6:53 PM PST
Berterame gets in on the action hoping to feed Messi near the box. Porteous is there to intercede and sends the incoming pass the other way,