A showdown has been arranged between Western and Eastern superstars Son Heung-min (34, LAFC) and Lionel Messi (39, Inter Miami).
The MLS office announced on the 27th that the Round 1 match of the 2026 season between LAFC and Inter Miami, scheduled for Feb. 21, will be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum instead of the existing BMO Stadium.
The match, which was originally scheduled to be held at LAFC's home ground, BMO Stadium, was moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which can hold 77,000 people. The existing stadium has a capacity of about 22,000. It was judged to be far too small to host a mega match.
The MLS office expanded the scale to make the Son vs. Messi matchup the biggest event in MLS history. It is expected that attendance will far exceed 70,000 and set a new single-game attendance record for LAFC. The single-game attendance record in MLS was 82,110 for the LA Galaxy vs. LAFC derby held at the Rose Bowl Stadium in 2023.
This event is possible because of the two superstars, Son Heung-min and Messi. Messi is a star who has explosively boosted MLS's popularity since joining Inter Miami in 2023. Son Heung-min also became a new symbol of North American soccer when his transfer to LAFC last summer set the league's record transfer fee. The matchup between the two superstars is expected to be recorded as the first generational clash in North American soccer history.
Champion Inter Miami strengthened its squad further. Inter Miami bolstered its attack by signing Mexican national team forward Herman Berterame (27) on the 1st.
Berterame, a Mexican national team forward, is a proven attacker who has also played for Mexico, scoring 2 goals in 8 appearances. At Monterrey, a prestigious club in the Mexican league, he played 153 matches, scoring 68 goals and providing 15 assists.
MLS has a salary cap system that limits players' total salaries. However, teams can sign designated players who are exempt from that. Inter Miami has signed its third designated player in Berterame, along with Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul.
Berterame's transfer fee is $15 million (about 21.8 billion won), and he signed through the 2028-29 season. The contract includes an option to extend through the 2029-30 season.
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