Son scores his first 2026 league goal in LAFC’s 3-0 derby win

Son Heung-min scored his first goal of the 2026 MLS regular season as LAFC beat LA Galaxy 3-0. The South Korean forward struck from distance in the 57th minute. His goal ended a run of 45 shots across 13 league appearances without scoring.

Mark Delgado and Denis Bouanga had already given LAFC a two-goal lead. Delgado opened the scoring in the 26th minute. Bouanga converted a penalty during first-half stoppage time. Son then completed the score in his first El Trafico appearance.

Delgado opened the scoring against his former club

The first goal arrived after Jacob Shaffelburg turned away from pressure and found space to deliver the next pass. Delgado finished the move in the 26th minute. The midfielder scored against the club he represented earlier in his career.

LAFC entered the derby after the World Cup break. Several players had returned from international duty, including Son and Canadian midfielder Mathieu Choiniere. The opening goal gave the visitors control before the interval.

Galaxy did not find an equaliser during the remaining first-half minutes. Their position became harder when LAFC received a penalty. Son acted as a decoy around the set piece, while Bouanga took responsibility for the kick.

Bouanga extended his derby scoring run

Bouanga scored from the penalty spot in first-half added time. It was his seventh league goal of the season. The finish also extended his run of scoring against Galaxy to seven consecutive meetings.

The penalty sent LAFC into the break with a 2-0 lead. Both first-half goals came from different routes. Delgado finished a passing move, while Bouanga converted from the spot.

LAFC therefore began the second half with a clear advantage. Galaxy had to score at least twice to level the derby. The next goal instead came from Son twelve minutes after the restart.

Choiniere supplied Son for the third goal

Choiniere received the assist for Son’s 57th-minute strike. The pair connected outside the penalty area. Son then drove a long-range shot beyond goalkeeper Novak Micovic.

The goal was Son’s first in the league during 2026. He had taken 45 shots in his first 13 regular-season appearances without scoring. The derby attempt changed that record on shot number 46 of the sequence.

Son had returned after South Korea’s group-stage exit from the World Cup. He joined LAFC without a long club break. The Galaxy match became his first derby appearance and his first league goal after returning.

LAFC protected a second straight clean sheet

Galaxy did not score after falling three goals behind. LAFC completed the match with a clean sheet and added a second consecutive shutout in league play. The result was also their second straight MLS victory.

The three goals came from Delgado, Bouanga and Son. That distribution gave LAFC one scorer from midfield and two from the forward line. The assists and penalty sequence also involved Shaffelburg and Choiniere.

The MLS restart also brought Shak Mohammed’s late winner for Nashville.

The match took place at a sold-out Dignity Health Sports Park. LAFC were the away side but controlled the scoreboard from the 26th minute. The final margin did not change after Son’s goal.

The victory moved LAFC to 27 points

LAFC ended the night on 27 points and third place in the Western Conference. The table position reflected the results available immediately after the derby. It also gave the club a positive restart after the long tournament pause.

Their next league match was scheduled against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday. That fixture followed five days after El Trafico. The short interval placed the derby inside a continuing league schedule rather than an isolated event.

Son entered that next match with a new season total: one regular-season goal. Bouanga held seven, while Delgado had added the opening derby goal. The 3-0 result belonged to the team, while the 45-shot run belonged specifically to Son.

The final record separates the main events

LAFC won 3-0 and kept a clean sheet. Delgado scored in the 26th minute, Bouanga added a penalty in first-half stoppage time and Son scored in the 57th. Choiniere assisted the final goal.

Delgado’s 26th-minute opener remained the winning goal, while Son completed the 3-0 score. It was the final goal of the match. Its personal importance came from ending his scoreless start to the 2026 league season.

The derby therefore produced two distinct records. LAFC collected three points in their first El Trafico after the break. Son ended a sequence of 45 shots and 13 regular-season matches without a goal.

Delgado’s 26th-minute goal is recorded as the winner because it opened the scoring. Bouanga’s penalty increased the lead before half-time. Son supplied the final goal twelve minutes after the restart.

Choiniere received the assist for Son’s strike. Shaffelburg was involved in the move for Delgado’s opener. The penalty is recorded without an assist.

Son’s goal came from his 46th shot in the run described after the match. The previous 45 attempts covered 13 regular-season appearances. His total changed to one league goal for 2026.

The 3-0 derby win left LAFC on 27 points and in third place in the Western Conference. Son’s 68th-minute penalty ended his 13-match league wait and completed a night in which LAFC scored three times without reply.