Inter Miami's Nightmare Debut Against LAFC Exposes Alarming Team Flaws

Inter Miami's 2026 MLS season began in the most disastrous fashion imaginable as they suffered a crushing 3–0 defeat to LAFC before a capacity crowd at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Spearheaded by the dynamic partnership of Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga, LAFC displayed exceptional form following their midweek Concacaf Champions Cup demolition of Honduran outfit Real España, opening the scoring through David Martínez in the 38th minute.

Bouanga extended the lead by lobbing the ball over Inter Miami's new goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, before Nathan Ordaz sealed the victory with a stoppage-time strike.

Miami failed to generate meaningful opportunities throughout the match and were thoroughly outplayed—a showing that proves even more deflating given the record-setting attendance of 75,673 that packed the venue for the 2026 MLS season kickoff.

One Thing We Can't Ignore

One Thing We Can't Ignore

Despite considerable excitement surrounding goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, his inaugural showing was concerning. Alarmingly poor, in truth.

While Rocco Ríos Novo and Inter Miami's previous goalkeeping choices have faced their own challenges, St. Clair appeared entirely uncomfortable with Javier Mascherano's tactical approach and team philosophy. 

During his successful campaign that earned him the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award with Minnesota United, St. Clair was accustomed to positioning himself deep in his penalty area and facing shots as the Loons conceded most of the ball. Occasionally, he would initiate rapid counter-attacks for Minnesota's speedy forwards. 

BOUANGAAAAA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BGOHiF5MTE

In this match, it was clear that St. Clair was directed to operate as a sweeper-keeper who maintains possession and assists Miami in controlling the ball. However, he appeared lost with his positioning on multiple instances, compounded by the struggles of Maxi Falcón and Micael, Miami's new central defensive pairing.

St. Clair has only experienced a handful of preseason matches to adapt to his new environment and playing style, making it reasonable that he hasn't mastered everything yet. However, when facing players like Son, Bouanga and LAFC's skilled attacking unit, you cannot afford to be behind in your readiness.

Mascherano understands this reality and St. Clair recognizes it too—anticipate this week's training sessions to be more rigorous to develop improved communication and familiarity.

Inter Miami Player Ratings vs. LAFC

Inter Miami Player Ratings vs. LAFC

*Ratings provided by FotMob

GK: Dayne St. Clair—4.7: Following Martínez's opening goal, St. Clair's choice to venture off his line during Bouanga's attack sealed the match's outcome.

RB: Ian Fray—5.9: Facing Bouanga for the majority of the opening period, the Jamaican defender found it difficult to initiate attacks and couldn't establish connections with Mateo Silvetti on the wing.

CB: Maxi Falcón—5.8: After emerging as a reliable defensive anchor by the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, Falcón seemed to have regressed significantly. His lack of assurance was apparent as LAFC's attackers controlled the match.

CB: Micael—6.2: Making his inaugural regular season appearance for the Herons, the Brazilian defender requires additional time to establish defensive understanding with Falcón and St. Clair.

LB: Noah Allen—6.8: At only 21 years of age, the Greek youth representative performed as if he hadn't lost any momentum from the previous season. His evening concluded with eight defensive actions while cleaning up his central defenders' errors on several occasions.

DM: Rodrigo De Paul—5.7: As Miami faced difficulties in the second period, the Argentine midfielder seemed to assume individual responsibility, wandering from his central position and providing LAFC additional transitional space.

DM: Yannick Bright—7.3: Bright remained actively involved throughout. Expected to assume a vital role following Sergio Busquets' retirement, the former MLS SuperDraft selection ranked among Miami's top performers despite the defeat.

RW: Mateo Silvetti—6.4: Mascherano indicated before the game that wide positions would see rotation this season, even with MLS Cup playoffs record-holder Tadeo Allende available. Across 81 minutes, Silvetti managed only 36 touches in an unremarkable display.

AM: Lionel Messi (c)—6.6: The consecutive two-time MLS MVP struggled to bypass Mark Delgado and Stephen Eustàquio while lacking creative support in the final third, though he registered three chances created and four attempts.

LW: Telasco Segovia—6.5: The Venezuelan winger provided minimal inspiration after receiving a starting opportunity, remaining largely uninvolved despite completing the full 90 minutes.

CF: Germán Berterame—6.3: Even with substantial possession, Miami failed to generate scoring opportunities for Berterame, forcing the Mexican striker to pursue difficult chances. He managed two attempts, both of limited quality.

SUB: Facundo Mura (45' for Fray)—6.3: In his MLS debut, Mura altered Miami's attacking patterns and showed precision when overlapping with Silvetti on the right flank.

SUB: Tadeo Allende (69' for Bright)—6.3: In his first official appearance since netting in the MLS Cup final, Allende introduced a tactical adjustment for Miami but couldn't locate the spaces where he typically excels.

SUB: Luis Suárez (81' for Silvetti)—Having been primarily replaced by Berterame in Miami's system, Suárez created minimal influence upon his introduction.

Subs not used: Rocco Ríos Novo (GK), Gonzalo Luján, David Ayala, David Ruiz, Santiago Morales, Daniel Pinter.

What the Ratings Tell Us

What the Ratings Tell Us

The Numbers That Explain Miami's Dramatic Defeat

The Numbers That Explain Miami's Dramatic Defeat