The Herons opened the 2026 MLS season in the worst way possible.
Inter Miami’s 2026 MLS campaign got off to the worst start possible as they were humbled 3–0 by LAFC at a packed out Los Angeles Coliseum.were firing on all cylinders after a midweek Concacaf Champions Cup mauling of Honduran side Real España, and took the lead through David Martínez in the 38th minute.
Miami struggled to create chances throughout the night and were very much second best—a performance that is all the more disappointing as a record-breaking crowd of 75,673 crammed in for the 2026There’s been plenty of hype about goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, but his debut performance was bad. Worryingly bad in fact. While Rocco Ríos Novo and Inter Miami’s other past goalkeeping options have had their struggles, St. Clair looked completely out of his comfort zone with the way Javier Mascherano wants his team to approach games tactically., St. Clair was used to sitting deep in his goal and awaiting shots as the Loons surrendered the majority of possession. Sparingly, he was used to spark quick transitions for Minnesota’s pacy attackers.Here, it was evident that St. Clair was instructed to play as a sweeping goalkeeper that spends time on the ball, helping Miami to take control of possession. Yet he looked all at sea with his positioning on several occasions, and wasn’t helped by the fact that Maxi Falcón and Micael, a new centre back partnership for Miami, also struggled. St. Clair has only had a few preseason games to acclimitize to his new surroundings and a different way of playing, so it’s understandable that he may not have everything locked down yet. But against the likes of Son, Bouanga and the rest of LAFC’s talented attacking pool, you can’t afford to be lagging behind in your preparation. Mascherano will know that and St. Clair will know that—expect training this week to be intensified so that better communication and comfortability can be built.After allowing Martínez’s first goal, St. Clair’s decision to play off his line against Bouanga’s rush put the game out of reach.Matched up against Bouanga for most of the first half, the Jamaica international struggled to drive transitions and failed to link up with Mateo Silvetti down the flank.: Having developed into a consistent defensive stalwart by the end of the 2025 season, Falcón appeared to have taken several steps back. A lack of confidence was evident as LAFC’s forwards dominated proceedings.: Playing his first regular season match with the Herons, it’s the Brazilian center back needs more time to forge any type of defensive chemistry with Falcón and St. Clair.: Still just 21 years old, the Greek youth international looked as though he hadn’t missed a beat since last season. His night ended with eight defensive contributions and he mopped up the mistakes of his central defenders on a couple of occasions.When things became challenging for Miami in the second half, the Argentine international appeared to take matters into his own hands, drifting from central midfield and allowing LAFC more space in transition.: Bright was right in the mix. Likely to play a critical role in the wake of Sergio Busquets’ retirement, the former MLS SuperDraft pick was among Miami’s best and most influential players in the loss.: Mascherano made it clear ahead of the match that there will be rotation in wide areas this season, even with MLS Cup playoffs record-breaking goalscorer, Tadeo Allende, as an option. In 81 minutes, Silvetti had just 36 touches in a forgettable performance.: The two-time defending MLS MVP, Messi had trouble getting past Mark Delgado and Stephen Eustàquio and lacked creative options to help him in attack, despite being credited with three created chances and four shots.: The Venezuelan international did little to inspire after being given the opportnity to start, rarely finding himself involved despite playing 90 minutes.Despite having ample possession, Miami struggled to create scoring chances for Berterame, leaving the Mexico international grasping at low-percentage opportunities. He finished with two shots, neither of much significance.: Making his MLS debut, Mura shifted Miami’s attacks and was sharp in overlapping with Silvetti down the right side.Playing his first official minutes since scoring in the MLS Cup final, Allende brought a formation shift for Miami, but was unable to find spaces to run, where he often thrives.—Largely replaced by Berterame in Miami’s setup, Suárez made little impact when he came on.Rodrigo De Paul and Son Heung-min battled throughout the opening match of the 2026 MLS season. | Luiza Moraes/MLS/Getty Imagesstruggled immensely and there will be concerns heading into this week around fostering better communication between the presumed Canadian World Cup starter and his center backs. St. Clair, Falcón and Micael all speak a different primary language, having grown up speaking French, Spanish and Portuguese, so common ground will need to be found.has shown significant development since his first minutes with Inter Miami as an MLS SuperDraft rookie in 2024. With his involvement against LAFC, highlighted by four recoveries and an ability to clog up the midfield, he proved that he could be ready for a more significant role in 2026.is going to need a little bit of time to find his footing as a pure attacking midfielder again. Last season saw him as a near-outright striker, while Berterame’s introduction forces him into a more creative role—that shift should work out in the long run.is a team flush with immense talent and one that will secure plenty of victories once they are all on the same page. It may take a few weeks, given they played just three preseason games, but it is too early to panic after just a season-opening loss.is far below what Miami has become used to in MLS play. They had 68% possesion and 12 shots, but that number shows just how little their attackers could muster in terms of quality.Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.
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