2 days ago
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75,263 in attendance
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The stage was set for a great showdown between Heung-min Son and Lionel Messi at Los Angeles’ historic Memorial Coliseum. A total of 75,673 spectators witnessed LAFC beat Inter Miami 3-0 thanks to goals by David Martínez (37’), Denis Bouanga (73’), and Nathan Ordaz (90+4’). The game was the highest attended home game in LAFC’s history. "It is the most attended game anywhere in the world this weekend," MLS commissioner Don Garber said at halftime. History aside, it was a deserved home victory for LAFC. It was also a historic result for Son, as the win marked his first over Messi. Not only did LAFC win, but Son also set up Martínez's opener.
In fairness, there haven’t been many previous opportunities for Son. Although both are legendary players with long careers in Europe, this was only the third time Son and Messi faced one another. The previous two times were in the 2018/19 season, when Tottenham were drawn into a Champions League group with Barcelona. Messi had the better of the two encounters as Barcelona beat Tottenham away from home (4-2) and drew at home at the Camp Nou (1-1). While Son provided an assist, Messi scored twice in those two encounters.
Now, after three games, the two are tied, with Son’s LAFC having the better of Messi’s Inter Miami. It was an oddly balanced game. While Messi seemed to drift in and out of the game, with Inter Miami controlling much of the p Son and his attacking partners Bouanga and Martínez terrorized the Miami backline with their tantalizing runs. Without a doubt, speed was the big difference as Messi and new signing Germán Berterame struggled to get behind LAFC’s backline. "We changed our formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3 to protect our middle a bit more, and as a team, we know we are very dangerous in open space," LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said after the game.
Win over Inter Miami - Mixed reaction by LAFC head coach Dos Santos
The plan worked. It took until the 64th minute for Berterame to have a dangerous moment. The Mexican national team star saw a header go wide after a cross by Facundo Mura. While Inter Miami had 68.4% possession, they didn’t seem to do much with the ball. "They put us under a lot of pressure, but we didn't concede many chances," Dos Santos said. Indeed, after the second goal, the xG was 2.7 to 0.9 in LAFC’s favor. LAFC would finish the game with an xG of 3.5, while Inter Miami would finish with an xG of 0.9. "That wasn't really by design," Dos Santos said. "They were very good on the ball, to be honest. When it comes to dealing with space, I give us an A+; when it comes to possession, then that's a D. I knew that if we defended well, we as a team would be dangerous in open space."
In other words, Dos Santos believed they got away with one thanks to the quality provided by Son and Bouanga, who are among the quickest attackers in MLS, giving LAFC the weapons to be dangerous even when they are not in possession. Although it might not have been intended, the game also might provide an interesting blueprint on how teams can perhaps challenge titleholders Inter Miami this season. The team coached by Javier Mascherano controlled the passing stats and possession, but also looked sluggish. Furthermore, the backline really struggled against LAFC’s fast attacking players.
Despite all that, Dos Santos wasn't entirely happy with the result. "I liked how we bounced back from the [mid-week Concacaf Champions Cup] match in Honduras and put in a big shift," Dos Santos said. "This is MLS, and not 'Alice in Wonderland'; you have to be good every week. The positive is that there is still a big margin to improve."
