'Five-game goal drought' Son Heung-min fails to prevent LAFC's 'shocking defeat'... 0-1 loss to mid-table Colorado in a scoreless defeat

*This content was translated by AI.

Without Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga, LAFC was lifeless. Suffering a shocking defeat against a mid-table team, they fell into a deep slump.

On the 20th at 10:30 a.m. (Korea time), LAFC lost 0-1 to Colorado Rapids in an away match of the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season held at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado.

With this defeat, LAFC fell into a two-game winless streak (one draw, one loss), remaining in third place with 10 wins, 4 draws, and 7 losses (34 points). Meanwhile, Colorado, riding a two-game winning streak, recorded 9 wins, 1 draw, and 19 losses (28 points) to climb to eighth place.

Son Heung-min, who has been on a grueling schedule recently, was listed as a substitute and entered the field in the 19th minute of the second half while his team trailed 0-1, playing for about 26 minutes, but he could not prevent the team's defeat.

As a result, Son Heung-min scored four consecutive official goals after the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup schedule, but has now gone five games without scoring.

Away team LAFC lined up Jeremy Ebobisse, Jacob Shaffelburg, and Tyler Boyd in the front line. Mathieu Choiniere, Eddie Segura, and Timothy Tillman formed the midfield, while Yevhen Cheberko, Nkosi Tafari, Ryan Porteous, and Ryan Hollingshead made up the back four. Goalkeeper Cabral Carter guarded the net.

Colorado built their attack around Rafael Navarro, with Darren Yapi, Paxten Aaronson, and Yousef Majidi in the forward line. Hamzat Ojediran and Wayne Frederick were deployed on the third line, while Miguel Navarro, Loick Williams, Rob Holding, and Reggie Cannon handled defense. Goalkeeper Nicholas Hansen wore the gloves.

The match proceeded under a one-sided flow favoring home team Colorado throughout. LAFC, without Son Heung-min and Bouanga in the starting lineup, showed frustration in their offensive buildup all through the first half and also wavered defensively.

In the early stages of the first half, as both sides engaged in a tense probing battle, Colorado scored the opening goal. In the 22nd minute of the first half, during a Colorado attack, the ball struck LAFC forward Ebobisse's foot and resulted in an own goal. After video assistant referee (VAR) review, Ebobisse's own goal was confirmed, leaving LAFC trailing 0-1.

Hit by that blow, LAFC counterattacked in the 25th minute of the first half with a right-footed shot from Boyd, but it was saved by the opposing goalkeeper. In the 36th minute, Cheberko's left-footed shot also missed the goal.

Momentum shifted to Colorado, who seized an opportunity for an additional goal late in the first half. In the 41st minute of the first half, Tafari committed a foul inside the penalty area, giving Colorado a penalty kick. However, goalkeeper Carter tipped Navarro's right-footed shot with his fingertips, allowing LAFC to escape the crisis of conceding another goal.

Immediately after the second half began, LAFC substituted Aaron Long for Tafari to reorganize their defense. In the 12th minute of the second half, during a corner kick situation, Shaffelburg, Ebobisse, and Segura took consecutive shots, but all were blocked by a defensive wall.

As the frustrating flow continued, LAFC made a tactical move in the 19th minute of the second half by substituting Tillman and Shaffelburg for Son Heung-min and Bouanga simultaneously.

However, even with the introduction of Son Heung-min and Bouanga, the match dynamics did not easily shift. As Colorado's attack continued, Minougue's shot in the 26th minute of the second half missed the goal.

In the 34th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min attempted an infiltration but was called offside. In the same minute, a shot by Choiniere, who received Bouanga's pass, was also blocked by the defensive wall.

Colorado increased their defensive numbers to aim for a scoreless victory. LAFC brought on Tommy Mihalick in the 37th minute of the second half and launched an all-out attack, but ultimately failed to open Colorado's goal. The match ended with a lifeless 0-1 defeat.

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*This content was translated by AI.