The Major League Soccer (MLS) will feature one of its most anticipated matches right at the start of the season. It’s a blockbuster clash between Inter Miami CF, the reigning champions led by Lionel Messi, and Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), a team determined to conquer the league with Heung-min Son as its marquee star.
This is a matchup that once belonged exclusively to the UEFA Champions League. Seeing Messi and Son face off required a meeting between FC Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur. That reality has changed. The league in the United States has successfully attracted global icons, transforming its competitive landscape.
As the years pass, MLS continues to prove it can bring in elite talent to elevate the league-and it hasn’t disappointed.
The Heung-min Son vs. Messi Duel
The last time they met in Europe was in 2019, at a moment when MLS was nowhere in their immediate future. Now, as the 2026 season kicks off with MLS is Back, they cross paths again-this time on American soil.
During the 2018-2019 campaign, Son represented Tottenham Hotspur, while Messi starred for FC Barcelona as the best player on the planet. After two encounters, the head-to-head record favors the Argentine, with one win and one draw, leaving the South Korean still searching for his first victory against him.
The scenario changes continents
This highly anticipated showdown will take place at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a venue that holds more than 77,000 spectators. An Olympic stadium. A symbol of American sports history. A stage worthy of a global spectacle.
The decision to move the match from BMO Stadium-marking the first time in LAFC’s history that they have changed venues for such an occasion-speaks volumes about the magnitude of the event. It’s more than logistics; it’s a statement about the scale of the matchup.
Because make no mistake: both players still possess the quality to compete at the highest level in Europe. The difference now is that they are showcasing that elite talent within Major League Soccer, a league that continues to demonstrate its rapid growth and expanding global relevance.