The Inter Miami player began his club’s MLS Cup title defence with a crushing away loss to rivals Los Angeles FC.

David Martinez scored in the first ‌half, Denis Bouanga scored and added an assist in the second ⁠and Los Angeles ⁠FC completed a 3-0 victory over Lionel Messi and visiting Inter Miami in the teams’ season opener on Saturday night.

Substitute Nathan Ordaz ⁠added the final goal for the hosts, who moved the match to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and drew a crowd of 75,673, the second-largest in Major League Soccer (MLS) ⁠history for a regular-season game that was not part of a double-header.

Son Heung-Min provided the final assist on Martinez’s opener for the Los Angeles-based football club, who have lost only twice in 16 games since signing the South Korean star last summer.

Hugo Lloris made three saves ‌for the hosts, who held Messi’s Herons scoreless in a match he played for the first time in 15 matches in all competitions, a stretch that dates back to a 3-0 regular-season loss at Charlotte on September 13.

Mexican-Argentinian striker German Berterame made his debut for Miami, which held 63 percent of the possession.

But LAFC threatened constantly in transition, especially during the first half, and ⁠finished the night leading 16-13 in shots and 6-3 ⁠in efforts on target.

Martinez put LAFC in front in the 38th minute on one such moment.

Timothy Tillman began the attack when his dogged defensive work turned over Messi’s national team teammate Rodrigo de ⁠Paul in midfield.

The ball fell to Stephen Eustaquio, who played a first-touch pass to Son above the box. Son ⁠played it on into the run of Martinez ⁠down the left, and Martinez finished crisply past Dayne St Clair for his eighth career MLS goal.

St Clair created trouble for himself on Bouanga’s tally in the 73rd minute, racing outside the box ‌in an attempt to reach Tillman’s diagonal ball.

But Bouanga was first by a healthy margin and headed the ball beyond the goalkeeper before finishing into a ‌stranded ‌goal.

Bouanga then set up Ordaz to seal it in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, beating his defender down the left flank before driving in a low cross.

The Dolphins Cancer Challenge is nearing a major milestone, pushing toward raising $100 million for cancer research since the event began in 2010 in honor of Miami Dolphins great Jim Mandich.

The annual fundraiser was created after Mandich was diagnosed with bile duct cancer. The team rallied around him by launching the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, which has since grown into one of South Florida’s largest cancer fundraising events. Mandich was treated at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center until his death in April 2011.

Jim Mandich’s legacy lives on through Dolphins Cancer Challenge

Inside Sylvester’s new Ken Griffen Cancer Research Building on the UHealth campus, healthcare administrator and nurse practitioner Jessica Macintyre reflected on Mandich’s impact. She cared for him during his illness and said his lasting legacy goes far beyond football or broadcasting.

“I took care of Jim Mandich when he was sick with cancer, and at that time, it was amazing to see him going through a terminal disease and still wanting this to come to fruition, and being part of it, despite, you know, the difficulties he had, and being there, and just to see that still alive today, because of his vision, because of his connection with the dolphins, and now the DCC being part of Sylvester for so many years, it’s really, truly his legacy,” Macintyre said.

Macintyre said the partnership between the Miami Dolphins and Sylvester stands out because of how donations are used.

“It continues to go on and fuel so much board, in reference to cancer research and to know that everything, 100% of what people contribute to the DCC goes directly to cancer research. Nothing else is really unique, and they’re accountable for it, and they show the progress year after year, and so do we. So, we’re really excited about this continued partnership and just the investment that they’ve made at Sylvester and to our community,” she said.

Providers and cancer patients crossing the finish line together

Macintyre has worked at Sylvester for 20 years, and she said her connection to the mission is deeply personal. Both her mother and aunt were treated for cancer at the center and are now cancer free.

She said crossing the finish line at the Dolphins Cancer Challenge is one of the most emotional parts of the event.

“It gives me goosebumps every time I cross the finish line,” she said. “I look next to me, and sometimes I look back as well, just to see if I see a patient that’s crossing the finish line. It’s just an amazing feeling to see them do the same thing I’m doing, and we’re both working together for the same common reason. It’s just an amazing feeling. It’s unlike any other.”

That shared experience between providers and patients, she said, fuels her work every day.

“It strengthens my work. It strengthens the work at Sylvester, I think, by us as clinicians and providers seeing patients out there doing the same thing we’re doing raising funds, it gives us so much purpose in what we do every day, and it fuels us so much more. It gives it gives a sense of hope for so many, especially people that aren’t going through it right now, to see that combination of providers and patients coming together, it just makes it all so much more worthwhile,” she said.

For those hesitant to participate, Macintyre said the event welcomes people of all abilities.

“Every level of participation matters, and it makes a difference and it’s going to make a difference for years to come, and you are going to part of that difference in cancer research and you don’t want to miss out on that good,” she said.