LAFC player ratings: Son sets tone as Bouanga outshines Messi in opener

LAFC began the season with a commanding 3-0 win over Inter Miami at the LA Memorial Coliseum, played before an MLS-record opening day crowd of 75,673. Denis Bouanga sparked the victory with a goal and an assist in the second half, while the established understanding between Bouanga and Son Heung-Min repeatedly unsettled the reigning champions.

Miami held 58.7 percent of possession in the first half, but Los Angeles absorbed pressure and punished turnovers on the counter, finishing the opening 45 minutes with 11 shots to Miami’s three. Son forced the turnover that led to David Martinez’s opener, and Martinez came close to a second before the break.

Inter Miami pressed early in the second half but LAFC’s midfield, led by Timmy Tillman and Stephen Eustáquio, quelled the threat and launched the decisive moves. Tillman’s counter set up Bouanga for the second goal, and Bouanga later threaded a pass for Nathan Ordaz to make it 3-0, giving Marc Dos Santos a successful managerial debut.

United States, Los Angeles

lafc, inter miami, denis bouanga, heung-min son, memorial coliseum, mls, opening day, marc dos, nathan ordaz, stephen eustáquio