Blending past and future, Marc Dos Santos' LAFC takes down defending MLS champion Inter Miami

An intentional blend of new and old

Dos Santos is a familiar face at LAFC. He served as Cherundolo's top assistant for four straight seasons and won three trophies (the MLS Cup, the Supporters' Shield and the U.S. Open Cup) in that role. When Cherundolo announced his intention to step down following the 2025 season, high-flying LAFC could've selected just about anyone to fill his shoes. Ex-Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou was reportedly considered.

But it was Dos Santos — a familiar face with high potential but little name recognition — who won out over his famous peers. 

"Marc understands as well as anyone what the best version of LAFC looks like," general manager John Thorrington said. "His relationships, clarity of ideas, and passion for LAFC make him uniquely positioned to elevate what we already do well and push us toward our full potential."

That, it seems, was what Thorrington was looking for: a coach who could maintain LAFC's cultural identity (rigid in defense, explosive in attack, focused on victory at all cost) while pushing it toward a more watchable future.

It's a difficult needle for Dos Santos to thread, but in this opening match against Miami, he managed it just fine. His team's first half performance was all new-look LAFC, with attackers Son Heung-min, Denis Bouanga and David Martinez pinballing off each other in the final third. Its second-half performance, though, was the best of the old LAFC: intentional, reserved and designed to throttle the life out of the opposition. 

Dos Santos might not have loved the split, but viewers certainly did. It was as clear an illustration as any of the two eras his LAFC team is set to straddle in 2026.

A futuristic first half

LAFC's first half against Miami was all Dos Santos: a forward-thinking 4-2-3-1 lineup with an ever-shifting back line that allowed right back Sergi Palencia to roam forward. This approach kept LAFC locked down in its own defensive third — Miami managed just one shot on target in the half — but kept plenty of midfielders open for interceptions and quick forward runs.

It's all evident in LAFC's opening goal. The ball begins at Miami's feet, but LAFC's midfield — in this case, new addition Stephen Eustaquio and the ever-present Son — pressure Miami star Rodrigo De Paul into a turnover in the middle third. Son seizes the ball, sprints forward, draws Miami's defenders to him and opens up Martinez all alone on the left flank. From there, it's a simple move for Martinez to dink the ball over goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, and LAFC is on the board.

A second-half throwback

Miami, to its credit, figured out the interplay between Martinez and Son. It addressed it by subbing on defender Facundo Mura in the second half to limit Martinez's availability in the final third. For a while, LAFC didn't know how to respond.

It took a reversion to type — moving back into a traditional LAFC 4-3-3 focused on ceding possession and scoring on quick breaks — to change the story. And it was Nathan Ordaz, the homegrown LAFC prospect who knows that type better than anyone, who brought it all together. When he spotted Bouanga slaloming down the side of the field with purpose, Ordaz sprinted to the center of Miami's box and positioned himself perfectly to tap in the cross he knew was coming.

Was it innovative? No, not exactly. But it was pure LAFC from start to finish. And it proved that while Dos Santos is more than capable of pushing his team toward new ideas, he's happy to let them play the old hits, too.

If LAFC wins the MLS Cup this season — something it's undoubtedly a favorite to do — that's how it'll make it happen, by blending its past and its future as seamlessly as it did in its season opener against Miami.

LAFC will return to MLS action on Saturday away at the Houston Dynamo.