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LAFC vs. Inter Miami Player Ratings: Lionel Messi Fails, Son Heung-Min Shines On MLS 2026 Opening Day
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- LAFC vs. Inter Miami Player Ratings: Lionel Messi Fails, Son Heung-Min Shines On MLS 2026 Opening Day
MLS is back. Lionel Messi 's Inter Miami visited Son Heung-Min 's Los Angeles FC at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 21, in the 2026 season opener.
LAFC had started its 2026 season on the right foot by defeating Real Espana 6-1 on Tuesday in the first leg of the round of 32 of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
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Inter Miami, meanwhile, had a busy preseason but had not played any official matches. Messi's team faced Alianza Lima, Atletico Nacional, and Barcelona SC. In that last match, the Argentine star was left injured.
The match ended 3-0 in favor of LAFC, with a goal from David Martinez , assisted by Son, in the 38th minute; another from Bouanga in the 73rd minute; and another from Nathan Ordaz in the 90th minute. Here are our player ratings for this match.
LAFC's South Korean forward #07 Son Heung-min (L) fights for the ball with Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi (2R) as Inter Miami's Venezuelan midfielder #08 Telasco Segovia looks on during the Major League Soccer opening match between Los Angeles Football Club and Inter Miami CF at the LA Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, on February 21, 2026. Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images
LAFC 3-0 Inter Miami: Player Ratings
Bouanga, Son, Tillman, and Martinez all had standout performances for LAFC, but our MVP is the Gabonese forward, with one goal and one assist.
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Messi could not impose his quality to rescue at least a point, so we give him a neutral rating of 6. St. Clair was disappointing, being, along with Silvetti, one of the few players to receive a failing grade, with a rating of 5.
| LAFC |
Rating |
Inter Miami |
Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 |
St. Clair |
5 |
|
| 6 |
Segovia |
6 |
|
| Tafari |
6 |
Messi |
6 |
| Porteous |
6 |
Silvetti |
5 |
| Segura |
6 |
Bright |
7 |
| Tillman |
7 |
5 |
|
| Eustaquio |
7 |
Allen |
6 |
| Delgado |
5 |
6 |
|
| Martinez |
8 |
Falcon |
6 |
| Son |
8 |
Fray |
6 |
| Bouanga |
9 (MVP) |
Berterame |
6 |
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
