Soccer
Son Heung-Min couldn’t stop smiling.
After failing to score in 45 shots over his first 13 games of the 2026 MLS regular season, the South Korean superstar netted his first goal on Friday night, helping power LAFC to a 3-0 victory over rivals LA Galaxy in his debut El Tráfico appearance and return from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“The derby is always really special,” Son said post-match. “I just wanted to be part of it, and I just wanted to win here, and today we did.
“Being back, scoring goals, and winning with a clean sheet, I think, is going to be really helpful for our confidence through the second part of the season.”
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 18, 2026
Triumphant return
After acting as a decoy on a first-half penalty kick for fellow superstar attacker Denis Bouanga to finish, Son had to wait until the 57th minute for his goal. Linking up with Mathieu Choinière — who recently represented Canada at the World Cup — he smashed a long-range shot past Galaxy goalkeeper Novak Micovic for his first El Tráfico goal.
In the moments after scoring, the 34-year-old looked up to the heavens and back down at the pitch, with a smile that lasted through the final whistle and his embrace with teammates and staff.
“In our bubble, we’re so together… we know what we’re doing together, and when you have that togetherness as a team, and as a group, you just feel good for a guy like him who deserves [it], coming back from an emotional World Cup, joining us right away,” said LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos.
“I’m very happy Sonny scored because me and him wanted that for him, and yeah, it’s perfect.”
Denis + Sonny = AURA. ✋💥 pic.twitter.com/MxSa8K3IOR
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 18, 2026
Stars show up
Hollywood is known for its stars, and that’s exactly what LAFC brought to the nationally televised rivalry match at a sold-out Dignity Health Sports Park. First, it was a slick turn from another Canadian World Cup veteran, Jacob Shaffelburg, to set up Mark Delgado’s 26th-minute opening goal against his former team.
Later on, Bouanga extended his record goal-scoring streak against the Galaxy to seven straight games by converting from the spot in first-half stoppage time for his seventh goal of the season.
In the second half, Son snapped his personal scoring drought to bring some light back to his game after South Korea’s disheartening World Cup group stage exit.
“A derby is always special for the fans, for the club, and I know what it means to win it, and performing like this, especially today as a collective, I think it was fantastic,” said Son. “So we fully deserve three points.
“[Coming back from when] you’re representing the country and having tough results like that, I just wanted to be back as soon as possible because I just love doing what I do.”
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 18, 2026
Building momentum
LAFC, who had a difficult month in the World Cup lead-up, now have back-to-back clean-sheet wins in MLS play and a victory in one of the fiercest rivalries in the league.
“It’s the best rivalry in MLS, and I respect every rivalry. But I’ve been in different places… but nothing compares,” Dos Santos added. “It’s a very strong rivalry and very important to win it to start with the win in a game like that because there’s also an emotional toll in games like this, and it was a good answer from the guys.”
Now on 27 points and sitting third in the Western Conference, the Black & Gold look towards Wednesday’s clash against Real Salt Lake (10:30 p.m. ET | Apple TV, FS1, FOX Deportes), with hopes of pushing higher up the table and positioning themselves as MLS Cup contenders.
“I have to reinforce that we have to stay really humble in these moments,” Dos Santos said. “We have to stay together when the moments are difficult because in MLS… you have good moments and some moments are difficult, and it’s part of being a strong team.”
Read MoreRubi Lupo