▲ LAFC's Son Heung-min (left) battles for the ball
Son Heung-min (34), who recently set a new all-time scoring record for the South Korean men's national football team in A-matches, returned to his club Los Angeles FC (LAFC) and did his part by forcing an opponent's red card, but his team once again failed to secure a victory.
LAFC played to a 1-1 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps in a 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) home match held at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on October 11 (Korea Standard Time), failing to capitalize on their numerical advantage after Son drew an early red card from an opposing player while playing the full match.
Winless in their last four league matches (2 draws, 2 losses), LAFC remained in sixth place in the Western Conference with 42 points (11 wins, 9 draws, 6 losses).
Vancouver, which managed a draw despite playing with 10 men for most of the match on enemy territory, retained the top spot in the Western Conference with 51 points (15 wins, 6 draws, 7 losses).
Son returned to LAFC after setting the historic all-time scoring record for South Korean male players with 59 goals, surpassing former national team manager Cha Bum-kun (58 goals), by scoring in matches against Ecuador, Uruguay, and Uzbekistan during the September–October international break managed by interim coach Robert Moreno (Spain).
Although he recorded one goal and one assist in a 2-2 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes on September 20 just prior to joining the national team, he did not add any attacking points in this match.
Son currently has 6 goals and 13 assists in the MLS this season.
Including 2 goals and 7 assists in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, he has accumulated 8 goals and 20 assists.
The match against Vancouver marked LAFC's first game under their new managerial setup.
LAFC sacked manager Marc Dos Santos on September 28 while Son was away with the national team, and appointed Spanish coach Xavi Tamarit as interim manager on October 2.
Son played as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Denis Bouanga positioned at the forefront.
Jacob Shaffelburg and Armindo Sieb were deployed on the left and right wings of the second line.
LAFC gained an early numerical advantage just six minutes into the first half when Son forced central defender Tristan Blackmon to receive a red card.
LAFC intercepted an opponent's pass and launched a counterattack. As Shaffelburg received a through ball from Son in the center circle and faced a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, Blackmon rushed in and brought him down, resulting in an immediate red card.
LAFC earned a free kick near the penalty arc, and Son stepped up as the kicker, firing a low right-footed shot toward the lower right corner of the goal, which was blocked by the goalkeeper.
LAFC conceded a golden scoring opportunity to Vancouver's Brian White in the 22nd minute of the first half after their defensive line collapsed, but goalkeeper Hugo Lloris averted crisis with a fine save.
In the 27th minute of the first half, Son surged toward the goalmouth to meet a low cross from Sieb on the right side and poked it with his left foot, but it was also stopped by the goalkeeper.
The opening goal was scored by Vancouver, who showed no signs of being at a numerical disadvantage.
In the 43rd minute of the first half, Édier Ocampo delivered a cross from the right side of the penalty area, and Ali Ahmed redirected it with a header in the goalmouth. Although Lloris pushed it away, Ahmed pounced on the loose ball trickling toward the right side of the goal and fired it home with his right foot.
Ending the first half trailing, LAFC leveled the match less than a minute into the second half.
Sergi Palencia crossed the ball from the right, and Bouanga headed it into the center of the goal.
LAFC seemingly took the lead in the 8th minute of the second half when Bouanga scored another header following a cross from Palencia, but it was ruled out for offside.
Despite persistently pressing Vancouver afterward, LAFC failed to unlock the opponent's goal again.
Meanwhile, Vancouver midfielder Thomas Müller, the German football legend, was left out of the matchday squad due to a hamstring injury.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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