LOS ANGELES — Head coaches come and go, yet those changes haven’t done a thing to quell the Los Angeles Football Club’s dominance on opening day.
Starting the club’s ninth season in Major League Soccer on Saturday, the largest crowd the league has produced for a match to begin a season filled the Memorial Coliseum to see if the club’s newest head coach, Marc Dos Santos, could extend perfection by beating the defending MLS Cup champions, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
In front of an announced crowd of 75,673, anchored by a dedicated supporters’ section of 5,000, LAFC stymied Messi and his Inter Miami teammates, winning 3-0 to jump out the gate with a statement-making three points.
Fielding a lineup that went unchanged from Tuesday’s 6-1 CONCACAF Champions Cup victory in Honduras, LAFC (1-0-0, 3 points) limited Miami (0-1-0, 0 points) to a trio of shots on goal, helping Hugo Lloris earn a shutout.
Messi did not place a shot on target, but LAFC’s David Martínez did, scoring the lone goal in the opening half by finishing an assist from Son Heung-min. LAFC added a pair to seal the result in the final 45 minutes, thanks to Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz.
Two matches in the biggest beneficiary of the switch from four years of Steve Cherundolo to Dos Santos is the 20-year-old Venezuelan Martínez.
Following a strong debut in Honduras with a goal and assist, Martínez made his presence felt again, finishing from his left foot inside the box in the 38th minute.
“Last year he didn’t get much of a chance, but I think probably this year will be the one,” Bouanga said regarding Martínez on Friday. “Sonny is also participating, giving him advice and mentoring him. I think this year is his chance to show what he’s up to.”
LAFC put six shots on goal against Miami’s new goalkeeper, MLS 2025 goalkeeper of the year, Dayne St. Clair.
In the 73rd minute, Bouanga scored his first of the season as he seeks to break his own record with a fourth consecutive 20-goal MLS campaign. Timothy Tillman struck a long ball over the top, Bouanga chased it down, headed the ball to himself past St. Clair, and coolly finished in the box.
Bouanga also added an assist in stoppage time, drilling a low cross that caromed off of Ordaz, who entered in the 88th minute for Son, to deliver LAFC’s third.
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