Son Heung-min Shines with 1 Goal and 2 Assists... LAFC Secures First Win in 5 Matches

With Son Heung-min delivering a stellar performance of one goal and two assists, Los Angeles FC (LAFC) has snapped a four-match winless streak in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Son scored in the 27th minute of the second half, widening the gap to 3-1 during a 2026 home match against Austin FC held at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

This marks his first goal in two MLS appearances since his match against the San Jose Earthquakes on September 20.

In between, Son missed the match against FC Dallas on September 27 due to national team friendly match schedules.

With this, Son recorded his 7th goal of the MLS season, and reaching 9 goals overall in official matches, including 2 goals in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Additionally, Son recorded consecutive assists for Denis Bouanga's goals in the 7th and 22nd minutes of the second half, contributing to all three of the team's goals on the day.

Recording his 14th and 15th assists of the MLS season, Son surpassed Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) and several other players who have 14 assists to climb to the top of the league's assist leaderboard.

Propelled by Son's performance, LAFC won 3-1, breaking a four-match winless run in the league (2 draws, 2 losses) to reach 45 points and maintain 6th place in the Western Conference.

Amidst a slump of only one win in their last 11 matches, LAFC dismissed manager Marc Dos Santos late last month during the international match break and appointed Spanish coach Xavi Tamarit as interim manager early this month, securing their first win under the interim coaching setup.

Ending a scoreless first half, LAFC took the lead just seven minutes into the second half.

Son received a pass pushed through by Mark Delgado on the right side of the penalty area, sent it across to the far post, and Bouanga drove in a right-footed shot.

LAFC conceded an equalizer to Brandon Vazquez in the 21st minute of the second half following a passing error caused by the opponent's high press, but regained the lead just a minute later through another Bouanga goal assisted by Son.

A strong clearance kick from the opposing goalkeeper inside the penalty area hit Son's body and deflected, which Bouanga capitalized on without missing, connecting it into a shot to ripple the net.

The official MLS website credited Son with the assist for this sequence.

Having warmed up with "multi-assists," Son stepped up as the finisher himself in the 27th minute of the second half.

During a counterattack, he finished off a low cross from Jacob Shaffelburg on the left flank with his right foot to score the goal that sealed the victory.

Having secured the momentum, LAFC smoothly wrapped up the match by utilizing substitution cards, including replacing Son Heung-min with Sergio Vazquez in the 33rd minute of the second half.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.