Son's LAFC defeats Messi and Miami in MLS season opener

Los Angeles, United States: Son Heung min bested Lionel Messi in the battle of Major League Soccer s global superstars, setting up a 3 0 win for Los A...

Los Angeles, United States: Son Heung-min bested Lionel Messi in the battle of Major League Soccer's global superstars, setting up a 3-0 win for Los Angeles FC over Inter Miami on the US league's opening weekend.

The South Korean, already beloved in Los Angeles as he embarks on his first full season, set up a first-half strike for David Martinez, before Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz sealed the win.

Spearheading the Black-and-Gold's potent attacking trio, Son cantered through the center of Miami's defense all night, raucously cheered by some 76,000 fans -- the second-largest attendance in MLS history.

The Saturday night game had been moved to the cavernous Memorial Coliseum to accommodate the demand for MLS's two best-known players, with commissioner Don Garber boasting the league could have sold out LAFC's usual stadium "five times."

But for those who poured in to see eight-time Ballon d'Or-winner Messi there were slim pickings, as Miami failed to seriously threaten the LAFC goal despite dominating possession.