Son Heung-Min Scores First MLS Goal of the Season as LAFC Rout Galaxy 3-0 in El Tráfico

Forty-five shots. Thirteen games. Zero goals. That was Son Heung-Min's 2026 regular-season ledger heading into his first El Tráfico, according to MLSsoccer.com, and in the 57th minute on Friday night he finally tore it up. Mark Delgado laid the ball into his path, Son swept a right-footed finish from the middle of the box into the bottom left corner, and the South Korean star looked up at the sky like a man who had just put down a very heavy bag.

His goal capped a 3-0 LAFC win over the LA Galaxy at a sold-out Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. Delgado scored against his former club, Denis Bouanga converted a penalty, and Hugo Lloris barely broke a sweat. It was both clubs' first MLS match after the eight-week World Cup break, per LAFC, and only one of them looked like it had used the time well.

Delgado Strikes, Bouanga Keeps His Streak Alive

The opening stretch was cagey, and the Galaxy lost Erik Thommy early, with Harbor Tarczynski-Miller replacing him in the 22nd minute because of an injury. Four minutes later LAFC were ahead. Jacob Shaffelburg crossed, Delgado's header was blocked, and the midfielder pounced on the loose ball to poke it into the bottom left corner from point-blank range. Justin Haak's view afterward: "I think the first goal ricocheted off Delgado, off Jakob, back to in front of him for the finish." According to LAFC, it was Delgado's first goal against the Galaxy, the club he played for from 2022 to 2024.

The Galaxy's best answer came in the 40th minute, when Lucas Sanabria found Joseph Paintsil at close range and Lloris made the save. Two minutes later the hosts had shots from Sanabria and Tarczynski-Miller blocked inside the box, and LAFC went straight up the other end for a Son chance that flew over the bar.

Then came the penalty. Haak fouled Bouanga in the box in the 43rd minute, and the Galaxy said the award came after a lengthy VAR review. MLSsoccer.com described Son as a decoy before Bouanga stepped up, and LAFC's leading scorer slotted his right-footed kick into the bottom left corner in first-half stoppage time. According to MLSsoccer.com, it stretched his record goal-scoring streak against the Galaxy to seven straight games. LAFC called it a record for the derby. Haak did not exactly plead innocence. "I definitely touched the ball, but I'm not going to say that it 100 percent wasn't a penalty. I kicked him too," he said.

Son Breaks the Seal

Son nearly got his goal three minutes into the second half, curling a shot from outside the box that Novak Micovic pushed away at full stretch. He would not have to wait long. In the 57th minute, after LAFC won the ball in midfield, Delgado slipped him in and Son buried it. Galaxy coach Greg Vanney was blunt about how it started: "We just kind of touch it backwards into the space and it just springs them into a transition."

LAFC kept coming. Micovic saved from Bouanga in the 60th minute, and Son just missed the left post off the ensuing corner. Vanney threw on Julián Aude, Robert Taylor and Emiro Garcés in the 65th minute, and Taylor made his Galaxy debut, per the club. The hosts forced four corners between the 71st and 74th minutes, and Sanabria finally got a header on target in the 79th, but Lloris was there again. Son made way for Tyler Boyd in the 76th minute, and LAFC saw out the rest without much fuss.

The Stars of El Tráfico

Son Heung-Min fired six shots, put two on target and scored for the first time in MLS this season. "The derby is always really special," he said. "I just wanted to be part of it, and I just wanted to win here, and today we did." LAFC noted he also leads the league with nine assists.

Mark Delgado was the quiet hero: a goal, the assist on Son's finish and a full 90 minutes. LAFC said it was his 358th regular-season MLS appearance, moving him into 24th place in league history.

Denis Bouanga took three shots, put two on target and scored his seventh goal of the season, which LAFC said was a team high.

Hugo Lloris made just two saves, but the stop on Paintsil before halftime mattered. LAFC said the clean sheet was his ninth of the season, the most in MLS.

For the Galaxy, Lucas Sanabria was the most active attacker with four shots, though only one tested Lloris.

The Turning Point

The penalty right before halftime. At 1-0 the Galaxy were still in it, with Paintsil's chance and a pair of blocked shots suggesting the hosts had found some rhythm. Bouanga's spot kick turned a manageable deficit into a mountain, and it forced Vanney's side to open up, which is exactly what this LAFC team wants. "They came in and sat in a lower block, obviously recognizing we don't really have a 9," Vanney said of LAFC's approach.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: The Galaxy held 59.4 percent and lost 3-0.
• Shots on target: LAFC 5, Galaxy 2.
• Crosses: The Galaxy attempted 23 and completed four.
• Clearances: LAFC made 36, the Galaxy 10.
• Corners: The Galaxy earned nine to LAFC's three.

What It Means

LAFC improved to 8-3-5 with 27 points, and both LAFC and MLSsoccer.com said the win moved them into third place in the Western Conference. It was also their second straight clean-sheet win in MLS play after a 1-0 victory over Seattle on May 24, and LAFC said it evened the all-time series against the Galaxy across all competitions at 10 wins apiece with seven draws. Coach Marc Dos Santos was thrilled for his forward. "I'm very happy Sonny scored because me and him wanted that for him, and yeah, it's perfect," he said.

The Galaxy fell to 5-5-6 with 20 points, and Haak did not sugarcoat the stakes. "I feel like every game has to be like a playoff game at this point," he said. Both teams return to action on Wednesday, July 22, with LAFC hosting Real Salt Lake and the Galaxy hosting St. Louis CITY SC.

The Closing Take

Son's drought had started to feel like one of those streaming shows that keeps getting renewed without a payoff. On Friday night the finale finally landed, in a rivalry game, with a clean sheet attached. "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," Son said.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and additional match details as reported by MLSsoccer.com, LAFC and the LA Galaxy.