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Son Heung-min has ended a 273-day scoring drought that stretched back to the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs, netting in LAFC's dominant 3–0 El Tráfico triumph over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Friday night.
Following a disappointing World Cup campaign in which South Korea was eliminated in the group stage, Son delivered his strongest performance in months as the Black and Gold put on an impressive show in a nationally broadcast derby — their first fixture back following the World Cup hiatus.
And the returning World Cup players led the charge.
Canadian World Cup scorer Jacob Shaffelburg started things off, dancing along the touchline to create space before delivering a cross to Mark Delgado, who converted and celebrated against his former club. Fellow Canadian Mathieu Choinière then teed up Son's finish in the 57th minute.
WELCOME TO THE RIVALRY, SONNY. 🔥
His first MLS goal of 2026 comes in El Tráfico! pic.twitter.com/xJlgLxGmK2
Those two goals framed the scoring, while Denis Bouanga added his seventh of the campaign from the penalty spot — a kick he stepped up to take after it briefly appeared Son would be the taker, with Son later revealing post-match that he had simply been acting as a decoy.
"The derby is always really special," Son said after the final whistle. "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.
"Before I joined this team, [Bouanga] was always the penalty taker, so he fully deserved to take a penalty, and I always believed in him ... I just wanted to make a little bit of a mess with the [Galaxy] players because [they] say a little bit of bad words, so I was dealing with all the bad stuff so he could be taking a penalty with the free mind."
El Tráfico Intensity
Having featured stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimović and now Son, Hugo Lloris, Marco Reus and others, El Tráfico has grown into one of Major League Soccer's most high-profile rivalries, drawing comparisons to some of the globe's most celebrated matchups.
For LAFC, Friday marked only the second occasion they claimed all three points as the away side, and the biggest winning margin for either team since the Galaxy's 3–0 victory back in 2020.
"It's the best rivalry in MLS, and I respect every rivalry. But I've been like in different places ... but nothing compares," LAFC manager Marc Dos Santos said, having previously coached in the Cascadia Cup with Vancouver Whitecaps and the Canadian Classique with CF Montréal.
"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. This is the closest to the feeling you get in South America, Mexico, or even Europe, that's why we never played a friendly in our history."
Denis + Sonny = AURA. ✋💥 pic.twitter.com/MxSa8K3IOR
Son, who has experienced the north London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal as well as the Rhine derby between Bayer Leverkusen and FC Köln, drew parallels between his first El Tráfico and those electric atmospheres.
"I was in Germany, I was in England and now here, and [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. So we fully deserve three points," he said.
"Scoring [in my] first time playing in the derby and scoring the first goal of the season, I think it helped me going forward through the second part of the season."
LAFC Eye Late Summer Surge
Having managed just two wins in nine outings between April 11 and the World Cup break, LAFC appear to have rediscovered their form, with Friday's result building on a 1–0 win over the Seattle Sounders in their May 24 pre-World Cup farewell match.
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The Black and Gold now sit third in the Western Conference after 16 games and will look to sustain their momentum against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, as MLS's post-World Cup return kicks into full swing with a 15-match midweek schedule.
"Tomorrow we have a day off, and Sunday morning we have a training session," Dos Santos added, with an eye on the RSL fixture and the following Saturday's meeting with Sporting Kansas City. "We have a big week coming up, and we have to focus on that also. We have to stay really humble in these moments."