Son breaks through as LAFC cruises past Galaxy in El Tráfico

CARSON, Calif. -- Eight weeks separated LAFC's last MLS match from Friday night's return, leaving plenty of questions about how quickly the Black & Gold would settle back into league play. By the final whistle of a 3-0 victory over the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park, there was little doubt they had found their rhythm.

The result carried plenty of weight on its own. It moved LAFC into third place in the Western Conference, snapped the Galaxy's 24-match MLS streak of scoring at least one goal and marked just the second time in 37 meetings across all competitions that LAFC kept its rival off the scoresheet.

Inside the locker room, though, the conversation centered less on the score than the way it came together.

"I think defensively, we had a very compact game, very patient without the ball," head coach Marc Dos Santos said. "We were okay at moments not having the ball, and then we were good in the moments we had the ball. In the moments of transition, we create some chances."

That balance showed itself throughout the night. The Galaxy controlled stretches of possession, but clear opportunities rarely followed. Hugo Lloris was only asked to make two saves while recording his league-leading ninth clean sheet of the season, and LAFC consistently looked dangerous whenever it turned defense into attack.

Those transition moments eventually broke the match open midway through the first half.

Jacob Shaffelburg's run down the right wing created the opening, and Mark Delgado stayed with the play after his initial header deflected off Galaxy defender Jakob Glesnes. The rebound dropped kindly, allowing Delgado to poke home his second goal of the season against the club where he spent three years before joining LAFC.

Returning to Carson carried extra meaning after last season's controversy surrounding his delayed MLS Cup ring presentation, something Delgado acknowledged was still fresh in his mind.

"There's some history that tracks there, so that stays between me and what went on," Delgado said. "Yeah, lights a little fire, and I get excited playing against them."

When asked later about celebrating against his former club, Delgado didn't shy away from the emotions behind the moment.

Delgado's influence extended well beyond the opening goal. His awareness and composure in midfield helped LAFC control long stretches after halftime, and just before the hour mark he slipped the final pass to Son Heung-min, whose right-footed finish made it 3-0 and delivered the breakthrough both he and his teammates had been waiting for.

It was Son's first MLS goal of the season after 16 league appearances.

The reaction said as much as the finish itself. Nearly every LAFC player rushed to celebrate with Son, who admitted afterward that the goal mattered less because it was his first than because it came in a rivalry match and capped a complete team performance.

"I think scoring goal is always good, but I think as a football player, I was always thinking about team," Son said. "If team winnings, it doesn't actually matter what a first goal or not."

Earlier, Son had also shown that team-first mentality from the penalty spot. Although he initially picked up the ball after Justin Haak fouled Denis Bouanga inside the box, he handed it back to the Gabon international, who calmly converted his seventh consecutive goal against the Galaxy.

Dos Santos revealed afterward the decision was entirely between the two players.

"Sonny and Denis are both the penalty takers, and I allowed them, who's better and who feels better in the moment, to take it to the side," Dos Santos said. "They're like two brothers, and they spoke."

Son later smiled as he explained the exchange.

"I was just want to make a little bit mess with the players," he said. "Denis can be taking a penalty with the free mind."

Those moments reflected the chemistry Dos Santos repeatedly referenced after the match. The manager praised the group's togetherness while cautioning against getting carried away after one result.

"We have to stay really humble in the good moments, and we have to stay together when the moments are difficult," Dos Santos said. "Because MLS is a very unstable league."

The Black & Gold will aim to find their way through that instability as they find their groove back in action from the World Cup break. They'll have a short week to do so, as Real Salt Lake comes into BMO Stadium on Wednesday with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.