Inter Miami fans tore into Dayne St. Clair over his performance during their 2026 MLS opener against Los Angeles FC. The goalkeeper delivered underwhelming display as Inter Miami fell to a 3-0 defeat at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.
The Herons were lethargic from the off, struggling to find a foothold. Their sluggish display was punished after 38 minutes. Rodrigo de Paul was dispossessed in midfield, and Son Heung-min delivered a quick pass to David Martinez, who beat St. Clair for the game’s opening goal.
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Inter Miami looked stronger in the second half, with Lionel Messi getting more on the ball. However, they never fashioned any clear-cut chances. LAFC, meanwhile, were deadly.
St. Clair became the villain in the 73rd minute when he came outside his box to stop an LAFC counterattack, but he was outpaced by Denis Bouanga, who side-footed home into an empty net. Nathan Ordaz added a third in injury time, tapping home an assist from Bouanga.
It was a forgettable debut for St. Clair, who joined Inter Miami earlier in January. What made it more disappointing was that he was MLS Goalkeeper of the Year last season with Minnesota United.
In addition to committing an error leading to a goal, St. Clair had the lowest rating between players from both teams with a match rating of 5.8, according to Sofascore.
After the match, fans took to X to slam his performance, with one writing:
“Dayne St. Clair is the most overrated player in MLS.”
Another tweeted:
“On a serious note, that was really bad by St. Clair.”
A third quipped:
“What is St.Clair doing for @InterMiamiCF!? No reason to be out of goal and makes it so so easy for Bouanga! 😂🤦♂️ #MLS”
Dos Santos says LAFC prepared against ‘the best Messi’ after win over Inter Miami
LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos was a happy man after his side walloped the MLS Cup Champions in front of their fans. Santos admitted to planning to stop Inter Miami talisman Messi.
“When we prepared the game, we prepared the game against the best Messi possible,” Dos Santos said in his postgame news conference.
“And when you prepare for the best Messi around the box, you have to have numbers around him. And when he has the ball and the ball is uncovered, you have to make sure that you follow the late runs, because he finds so well the players in the pocket. Then when he starts running and playing one-twos, you have to continue with your runs.
“I think that part of our game today, A-plus, the part in possession, D. We can be much better, and we want to be much better.”
The Herons sit 14th in the MLS Eastern Conference table and will next be in action against Orlando City on March 2.
Edited by Ezekiel Olamide
