Lionel Messi and Inter Miami suffer on MLS opening night as Son and LAFC run riot in front of 75,673

In the big-name match-up MLS dreamed of to start the season, it was LAFC that delivered the first big punch.

Inter Miami and Lionel Messi might be the favorites to win MLS Cup, but Son Heung-min, Denis Bouanga and LAFC will have something to say about it, too. Son assisted on the opener, Bouanga scored one and assisted on another, and Messi was mostly quiet on the night as LAFC dominated in a 3-0 win in front of 75,673 at the LA Coliseum, the second-largest crowd in MLS history.

This was, of course, the marquee game that MLS needed to start its campaign. There’s no arguing it wasn’t worth getting its two biggest stars on stage to open the season. Still, every team is fighting off the early-season rust and one can only hope we see these two sides face off again later in the year. Only once before has the opening game for both teams wound up being the same as the MLS Cup match-up. In 2001, it happened with the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy.

Yet, at a time when everyone expects MLS’s superclub to dominate league play en route to a second straight title, the other superpower slowed that coronation. LAFC’s vertical style of soccer seems perfectly tuned to hit Miami’s weaknesses, and Inter struggled to find as much of the game as they’d normally like.

Miami had 68 percent of possession, but LAFC never felt out of control. L.A. prefers transition soccer, and that was evident on the opening goal in the 38th minute when a Rodrigo De Paul giveaway was immediately punished by Son, who found David Martínez for the goal.

Messi created three chances on the night, tied with Bouanga and Son for most, but LAFC effectively limited the influence of the 2024 and 2025 MLS MVP.

Bouanga took advantage of Miami’s high back line — and Dayne St. Clair being out of his goal in no man’s land — in the second half to double the lead, and Nathan Ordaz delivered the final blow in stoppage time.

LAFC very much look the part of MLS Cup contenders, but I wouldn’t go so far as to cross Miami off as the favorite yet. As Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game, you can’t go crazy after wins, nor can you make losses into tragedies — especially, not at the start of an MLS season.

There is a long, long, long way to go until November and December.

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Youth movement at Red Bull

If there was a surprise on MLS’s opening night — with all due respect to D.C. United beating Philadelphia — it was Michael Bradley using his MLS coaching debut to make a statement of confidence.

The New York Red Bulls became the first team in MLS history to start three players aged 17 or younger in a regular-season match, with Bradley selecting Julian Hall, Matthew Dos Santos and midfielder Adri Mehmeti in his XI for the season opener. The kids rewarded their new coach. Hall scored twice in New York’s 2-1 win against Orlando City, and Mehmeti showed why many around the league see him as one of the best American prospects to emerge.

The Red Bulls were energetic and dominant in the first half, then held off a push by the host Orlando City in the second half to pull off a win.

“We’re all really grateful for the coaching staff trusting us,” Hall said. “Me, Adri (Mehmeti) and Matty (Dos Santos) came through the academy, and we fought so hard to get to this position. So it was an amazing opportunity today, and we’re happy to get the three points.”

Anyone who was around Bradley as a player knew he was going to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a coach when he was done playing. It was clear his way of thinking about the game could fit well as a coach.

Bradley is already showing he will trust the kid, following up his MLS Next Pro championship with RBNY II. His bold selections make Red Bulls one of the teams to watch — if only to keep an eye on some of these exciting young players.

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Around the league on opening night

Nashville’s attack was everything we hoped it to be in its 4-1 win over New England. Sam Surridge was an MVP finalist last year and still might be underrated in the league … Cristian Espinoza and Hany Mukhtar … and Warren Madrigal? Pura vida, mae.

Tata Martino is going to need as much time as we thought to turn Atlanta United into a contender again, as shown by a 2-0 defeat in Cincinnati.

A lot of people around the league think Houston had one of the best offseasons in MLS and they got a 2-1 result to back it up over a Chicago Fire team that is looking to take another step in its second season under Gregg Berhalter.

“It’s like we were on autopilot (in the second half) and for us, it’s a good lesson,” Berhalter said. “If we go out and we play at half speed, we’re a below-average team. In the first half, when we play with real tempo, it’s a really good product. But the second half was a very poor performance.”

Thomas Müller guaranteed a Vancouver win on opening weekend and the Whitecaps delivered with a 1-0 result over Real Salt Lake. It will be a massive test to see how Vancouver follows 2025 now that they’ll have a target on their back all season long.

Tai Baribo grabbed post-trade revenge, helping D.C. United to a 1-0 victory over his former friends at the Philadelphia Union. Christian Benteke figured to be one of the toughest players to replace in MLS this year following his move to UAE club Al Wahda, but Baribo got things started off well in the opener.

The Portland-Columbus game was entertaining, and for as much love as you’ll see for the Espinoza signing in Nashville in our anonymous GM survey early next week, Portland’s move for Cole Bassett might end up looking like one of the best in-league moves of the offseason as he was influential throughout his team’s 3-2 success.

“We knew it was about to be a chaotic type of game,” Portland coach Phil Neville told Apple TV afterwards. “We’ve been a chaotic team all preseason and that’s when we’re at our best.”