Los Angeles FC defeated Orlando City 6-0, and Son Heung-min was the hero of the night despite not scoring a single goal. And he made history in the first 45 minutes, equaling a record previously held only by Lionel Messi.
The LAFC star had four assists in the first 45 minutes of play, making him the second player in MLS history to record four or more assists in each half, joining Inter Miami’s captain.
Son equals Messi’s record
The stage where Son shined was BMO Stadium. LAFC were already leading 1-0 thanks to David Brecaro’s own goal in the seventh minute, but former Tottenham Hotspur captain Dennis Bouanga was in charge.
Son Sung-soo did not directly contribute to the goals in the past two league games, but he made up for it in the match against Orlando.
20 minutes into the match, Son sent a wonderful through ball to Bouanga, who converted it for the second goal of the match. Three minutes later, the pair scored again with a brilliant counter-attack.
Five minutes later, Bouanga completed his hat-trick, and Son scored in the 28th minute, making him the third-fastest hat-trick in MLS history, tying Alejandro Moreno’s record in 2004.
In the 39th minute, a pass from Bouanga to Son made it 5-0 for LAFC, and Sergi Palencia scored the winning goal just before halftime. Tyler Boyd added a sixth point, but Son was no longer on the field.
And although Son is yet to score his first goal of the 2026 season, his impressive performance made him one of only two players, alongside Lionel Messi, to have provided four or more assists in a first half.
The Argentine player provided five assists in the second half of Inter Miami’s 6-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on May 5, 2024. He also scored a goal, setting a record for the most points contributed in a single game.
His influence as one of MLS’s top playmakers thus kept the Black & Gold team at the top of the Western Conference and established them as a formidable opponent to beat this year, despite some critics criticizing him for not scoring as often as he did in his London days.
But his coach, Marc dos Santos, cheered him on after the game, saying, “Sonny was great. He doesn’t have to score every game. He has to help the team and that’s what he’s doing,” he said (via GOAL).
“He was involved in all five goals in the first half. What more could you ask for? If people think he’s going to score five goals in every game, they’re delusional.”
Meanwhile, following this one-sided victory, LAFC are preparing to welcome Cruz Azul to the BMO Stadium in the first leg of the Champions Cup quarter-finals. On April 11th, they will face the Portland Timbers at Providence Park in the MLS regular season.
