"A World Cup that was painfully hard for me," confessed Son Heung-min, who scored after 237 days and said, "I wanted to come to LA"... "You must have been emotionally drained; I'm glad you're happy."

*This content was translated by AI.

Son Heung-min (34, LAFC) recalled his disappointing World Cup memories.

LAFC secured a 3-0 away victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 16th round of the 2026 MLS regular season at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, California, USA, on the 18th (Korean time). With three additional points, LAFC moved up to third place in the Western Conference with 27 points (8 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses), five points behind first-place Vancouver Whitecaps.

Starting as the forward in a 4-3-3 formation, Son Heung-min finally scored his first league goal of the season in the 12th minute of the second half. In a counterattack, he dribbled past the arc circle, exchanged passes with Mark Delgado and Lee Dae-il, then struck a right-footed diagonal shot toward the corner of the goal. The ball found the bottom-left corner of the net. Roaring in celebration, Son Heung-min joined "soulmate" Denis Bouanga for a joint goal celebration.

This marked Son Heung-min's third goal of the season and his first league goal since April 8 against Cruz Azul, after more than three months. His last league goal was on November 23 last year against Vancouver — a span of 237 days. Son Heung-min's offensive contributions this season stand at one goal and nine assists. Additionally, he celebrated the joy of his debut in "El Tráfico" and scoring his first goal in that match.

After the match, Son Heung-min spoke about returning to his team: "Although I represented my country in the 2026 CONCACAF Gold Cup, we faced a painful result. But because I truly love what I do, I wanted to return to my team as soon as possible."

He continued, "Even during the brief break right after the World Cup, all I could think about was the match against LA Galaxy. I really wanted to play and win, and in the end, we achieved it. I'm glad to have restarted my scoring form and secured a scoreless victory. This will be a major boost for our team's confidence in the second half of the season."

The head coach also praised Son Heung-min without reservation. Marc Dos Santos, LAFC manager, said, "We are all delighted that Son Heung-min, who joined us immediately after the emotionally draining World Cup, has received well-deserved rewards." He added, "Both Son Heung-min and I desperately wanted him to score, so it was truly a wonderful night when he found the net — a perfect evening for everyone."

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*This content was translated by AI.