LAFC vs Inter Miami preview: Lionel Messi faces Son Heung-min in 2026 MLS season opener

Last year, Messi lifted the MLS Cup in Miami and waved goodbye to familiar Barcelona shadows. This winter, Miami reloaded like a club chasing a dynasty, not nostalgia. They added Dayne St. Clair in goal, reinforced their back line and brought in Germán Berterame to free up Messi to operate as the No. 10 again. On paper, it’s the deepest roster MLS has seen in years.

Advertisement

But on the pitch, it comes with a glaring target for opponents.

And that target now has to prepare for the bright lights of Los Angeles.

LAFC enters its first full season with Son, who detonated onto the league last summer after leaving Tottenham. Sonny had 12 goals and four assists in 13 matches, and nearly led the black and gold back to the MLS Cup Final, if not for a dramatic penalty-kick shootout in Vancouver that saw Son miss the PK that would have sent LAFC to the Final.

Denis Bouanga, the Gabonese flamethrower, piled up 24 goals and nearly stole the Golden Boot award from Messi. Early transfer rumors and offers from other clubs had Bouanga leaving the club for Brazil, but as of now, LAFC has hung on to its star in the hopes that a full season together with Son will lead to more hardware for the black and gold.

Advertisement

But star power alone doesn’t win trophies.

Head coach Marc Dos Santos inherits opportunity and pressure. Promoted after Steve Cherundolo returned to Germany for family reasons, Dos Santos knows MLS, knows the locker room and knows expectations in this city are never whispered. LAFC went 17-8-9 last season, third in the West, and bowed out in the conference semifinals. Good is not the goal here. A second MLS Cup trophy is.

The roster gives him tools. Stephen Eustáquio arrives on loan from FC Porto, a metronome capable of snapping the tempo from frantic to surgical….