Son Heung-min’s 12th assist cannot save LAFC in Kansas City defeat

Son Heung-min set up Los Angeles FC's only goal for his 12th assist of the season, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 1-3 loss to last-place Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.

The match was LAFC's Round 26 away fixture of the 2026 MLS season, played at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The loss left LAFC with 11 wins, seven draws and eight losses, fifth in the Western Conference, while Kansas City snapped a seven-match winless streak of one draw and six losses to improve to 18 points, though it remained last in the conference.

Son, who started at forward and played the full match, set up the goal in the 47th minute, with LAFC trailing 0-2. Jacob Shaffelburg received a pass from Son on the left flank and delivered a low cross into the box, which Denis Bouanga finished with his right foot as he charged in.

On the play, Son was credited with a secondary assist under MLS rules, given to the second-to-last pass in a scoring sequence. The assist brought his league total to 12, keeping him second in the league behind Lionel Messi of Inter Miami, who has 13. Combined with his five league goals, Son now has seven goals and 19 assists across all official competitions. On Saturday, he led LAFC's attack with three shots, but could not prevent the loss.

The match was largely controlled by the home team. Kansas City took the lead in the 18th minute when Andre Luiz beat a defender down the right flank and finished with a left-footed shot. In the 31st minute, the hosts doubled their lead to 2-0 after Stephen Afrifa's header came off the crossbar and Taylor Calheira pushed the rebound in from close range.

LAFC responded by substituting Shaffelburg in for Jude Terry at the start of the second half, and began clawing back with Bouanga's goal, which originated from Son's pass. Five minutes later, Bouanga appeared to have found the net again for a potential equalizer, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Having weathered that scare, Kansas City sealed the win in the 71st minute when Jacob Bartlett pounced on a loose ball that deflected off a defender from a Luiz shot and buried it with a powerful right-footed strike. A desperate LAFC brought on Jeremy Ebobisse for Yevhen Cheberko to add attacking numbers, but their play lacked precision going forward, and the team ultimately fell by two goals.