(featured image credit – Bita Gilbert)

Messi and his Inter Miami quartet came to the land of Hollywood to wow the city of angels, but LA Galaxy stars shone just as bright in a 1-1 stalemate that drew a record crowd over 27,000 fans all striving to catch a glimpse of all the stars. And, despite a scoreless first half, the night delivered plenty of bright stars under the gaze of a full moon. It began with an Alesso concert unlike any other, highlighted the debuts of LA Galaxy’s newest Designated Players, and gave fans heroics from both goalkeepers, finally concluding with a stunning last-minute display from the dynamic duo of Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba. The non-stop action had everyone holding their breath, but as the stardust settled, the paths moving forwards for both teams remained open-ended. Miami, just a week into their season debut, and already two matches deep, showed signs of not being the unflappable monster truck that many expected them to be – rightfully so, they were tired from the arduous scheduling giving them merely 3 days rest, and they showed signs of stars slowly aging. On the opposite end, was a host team who arguably had hit rock bottom last season, but resembled a newly forming star, just beginning to coalesce into a tangible energy source.

LA Galaxy’s own La Masai academy product, Riqui Puig, reunited with Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suárez, and Messi off the field, but as soon as the opening whistle blew, was a workhorse maneuvering a startling 84 touches – only Miami’s right back Sergii Kryvtsov had more on the night. With five shots, Puig forced five saves from Drake Callender, including a saved spot kick in the 13^th minute and another in the 27^th minute as he aimed a right-footed shot from just outside the box. His blocked goal effort in the 74^th minute led to a rebound caught by Mark Delgado who then passed it to Dejan Joveljić as he slotted it through past Callender in the 75^th minute.

LA Galaxy held the lead until a game-changing second yellow was given to Delgado in the 87^th minute for a soft foul on Busquets (it was rescinded days later), leaving the home side down to 10 men. And, predictably, in the 92^nd minute, the inevitable happened – Messi and his sure-footed teammate Alba, pounced with an equalizer worthy of the steep prices in-stadium fans paid for the hyped opening weekend match. The goal culminated from a series of passing smooth like silk between Messi and Alba (“Messi-Alba-Messi-Alba-Messi!” astonished announcers shouted) was the final stunning display of the starry night.

While David Beckham, the man who is credited with heralding in a new era for MLS with the DP rule as a superstar Galaxy signing, and his new shimmering club adorned in the spotlight of Messi’s magic, had the last goal to salvage the match, LA Galaxy displayed their own level of brilliance with the debuts of Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec, the team’s new Designated Players. Paintsil’s presence on the pitch contributed more attacking skill and opportunity to create significant scoring opportunity, playing a respectable 86 minutes. And, Pec, replaced Diego Fagundez in the second half, playing 20 minutes delivering a crucial pass, and revealing glimpses of shooting ability registering one attempted shot on goal.

The draw against Inter Miami may have been a missed opportunity for the Galaxy as they lost a player in the final minutes of the match, the performances of Pec and Paintsil, combined with the solid blocking from their new goalkeeper, former LAFC and Philadelphia Union stalwart John McCarthy, demonstrated a potential that was missing last season. As Beckham departed, transformed from being representative of the LA Galaxy’s hallowed past to a symbol of the Inter Miami’s modern glory, LA Galaxy and their newest number 10 Riqui Puig, are poised to build their own new galaxy.