‘Special’—Son Heung-min Snaps Goal Drought As El Tráfico Earns European Derby Comparisons

LAFC thrashed the L.A. Galaxy 3–0 on Friday night in the fiercest rivalry in MLS.

Son Heung-min (left) scored his first goal in almost 300 days as LAFC trounced the L.A. Galaxy. | Shaun Clark/Getty Images

Son Heung-min is back among the goals, snapping a 273-day drought dating back to the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs and helping LAFC to a resounding 3–0 victory over El Tráfico rivals, the Los Angeles Galaxy, on Friday night. 

After a disheartening World Cup that saw South Korea bow out in the group stage, Son played his best game in months, as the Black and Gold showcased their best in a nationally televised derby in their first game back after the World Cup break. 

And the World Cup players led the way. 

First, it was Canadian World Cup goalscorer Jacob Shaffelburg shimmying along the touchline to open space and send a cross to Mark Delgado, who scored and celebrated against his former team, before fellow Canadian Mathieu Choiniére set up Son’s strike in the 57th minute. 

WELCOME TO THE RIVALRY, SONNY. 🔥

His first MLS goal of 2026 comes in El Tráfico! pic.twitter.com/xJlgLxGmK2

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 18, 2026

Those two goals bookended the scoring efforts, while Denis Bouanga netted his seventh of the season on a penalty kick, which he took after it appeared that Son would take it, before admitting post-match that he was nothing more than a decoy. 

“The derby is always really special,” Son said post-match. “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.”

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El Tráfico Intensity

Son Heung-min (center), Jacob Shaffelburg (left) and Denis Bouanga (right) all impressed for LAFC on Friday night. | Harry How/MLS/Getty Images

Graced by the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović and now Son, Hugo Lloris, Marco Reus and others, El Tráfico has developed into one of Major League Soccer’s most prominent rivalries and has earned comparisons to some of the world’s most touted matchups. 

For LAFC, Friday marked just the second time they captured all three points as the visiting team and the largest margin of victory for either side since the Galaxy picked up a 3–0 win 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 also coached in the Cascadia Cup with Vancouver Whitecaps and in 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

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 18, 2026

Meanwhile, Son, who has experienced the north London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal and the Rhine derby between Bayer Leverkusen and FC Köln, compared his first El Tráfico to those 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 added.

“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.”

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LAFC Eye Late Summer Surge

Marc Dos Santos (center) hopes to manage LAFC to a successful second half of the season. | Ronaldo Bolaños /Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

After winning just twice in nine games between April 11 and the World Cup break, LAFC seems to have turned the corner, with the win building on a 1–0 victory over Seattle Sounders in their May 24 World Cup sendoff match. 

Now, the Black and Gold sit third in the Western Conference after 16  games and will look to build further confidence and momentum against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, when MLS’s return from the World Cup hits high gear with a 15-match midweek slate. 

“Tomorrow we have a day off, and Sunday morning we have a training session,” Dos Santos added, eyeing the RSL match and next Saturday’s clash 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.”

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