LOS ANGELES — Following up his first goal of the MLS season, which punctuated a lopsided victory over the rival Galaxy last week, Son Heung-min celebrated his second bobblehead night of the month in style.
Less than two weeks after being honored by the Dodgers with a crossover collectible, Son’s terrific finish in the 11th minute on Wednesday night propelled Los Angeles FC to a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. The early goal gave the 34-year-old South Korean a chance to strike his famous picture-taking pose, which was immortalized on the 22,000 bobbleheads passed out to ticketholders prior to LAFC’s first match at BMO Stadium since May 24.
Before exiting in the 72nd minute, Son also helped deliver LAFC’s third goal when an attempted cross was redirected off defender DeAndre Yedlin past RSL goalkeeper Rafael Cabral.
LAFC forward Denis Bouanga also scored for the second straight game, giving LAFC (9-5-3, 30 points) a two-goal halftime advantage that proved insurmountable for RSL (8-5-2, 26 points), which came into the match one place behind LAFC in the Western Conference standings.
A goal by RSL defender Lukas Engel in the 86th minute denied LAFC its 11th shutout in 17 league matches, as well as Hugo Lloris’ 10th shutout at the midway point of the league schedule.
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Engel’s shot came from a corner kick and glanced off LAFC defender Nkosi Tafari, who, stepping in for center back Aaron Long, was the only change to the starting lineup that toppled the Galaxy, 3-0, in Carson last week.
Unable to score in league play through 13 appearances prior to the seven-week World Cup break, Son’s contributions in back-to-back wins have helped LAFC move closer to the top of the conference.
Two points behind San Jose (10-4-2) and Vancouver (10-3-2), both of which lost in their midweek matches, LAFC can tally nine points in as many days when it hosts last-place Sporting Kansas City (4-10-2, 14 points) on Saturday.
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More to come on this story.