"Following an error from Rodrigo De Paul, Son teed up David Martinez for LAFC's opener in the 37th minute. Hugo Lloris parried wide from a somewhat wayward Messi shot, but Bouanga doubled LAFC's lead midway through the second half when he nodded the ball over Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair to set himself up for a simple finish. Bouanga turned from scorer to provider deep in stoppage time, setting up substitute Nathan Ordaz to add further gloss to a resounding opening-day triumph."
"Bouanga recorded 24 goals and nine assists during the 2025 regular season, becoming just the third player in league history to reach both of those marks in a season. Bouanga joined Messi (29 goals, 20 assists in 2025) and Carlos Vela (34 goals, 15 assists in 2019) on that list. He is already on two goal involvements for 2026, and he was outstanding throughout Saturday's contest, tallying up a game-high seven shots,"
Lionel Messi played the full 90 minutes but Inter Miami suffered a 3-0 defeat to Los Angeles FC at United Airlines Field. Messi's pre-season preparations were hampered by a hamstring issue, yet he was fit to start. LAFC took the lead in the 37th minute after an error from Rodrigo De Paul allowed Son to tee up David Martinez. Denis Bouanga doubled the lead in the second half and later assisted Nathan Ordaz in stoppage time. Bouanga recorded a game-high seven shots and 13 touches in the opponent's box. LAFC created 3.26 expected goals compared with Miami's 0.83.
Read at Soccer News
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