Evaluation moved first. It was the flow, not the result. This is the background for why Major League Soccer headquarters in the United States singled out Son Heung-min's club LAFC as the top favorite to win the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
MLS headquarters on the 31st of last month (Korean time) released the results of a comprehensive analysis of the competitiveness of participating clubs ahead of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup. The team at the very top was LAFC.
In this tournament, regarded as the most prestigious club competition in North and Central America, it judged that LAFC is the strongest title contender among MLS clubs.
The key is Son Heung-min. Since leaving the European stage and putting on the LAFC uniform, he has become more than a simple star; he has established himself as a presence that changes the landscape of the league.
His numbers were overwhelming from his MLS debut season. In 13 league matches he had 12 goals and 3 assists. He embraced scoring, influence and publicity. Not only was he a finalist for the MLS rookie of the year award, he also swept Transfermarkt's MLS player of the year and goal of the year.
With Son Heung-min's arrival, LAFC's attacking character completely changed. In particular, the combination with Denis Bouanga showed a destructive power rarely seen in league history.
The two players jointly produced the MLS's first ever three consecutive matches with hat tricks, and set a record of as many as 18 consecutive combined goals. Scenes in which matches tilted before the opposing defense could organize themselves repeated.
The MLS headquarters' assessment also focused on this point. The analysis followed that "the attacking combination produced by Son Heung-min and Bouanga is threatening not only in MLS but also on the CONCACAF stage."
Draw luck was also cited as a positive factor. The headquarters said, "LAFC is likely to avoid Mexican league teams until the quarterfinals. They are expected to face real powerhouses only after the semifinals."
The environment is not bad either. Most of the key players who had been sidelined with injuries have returned, and it was judged that head coach Mark Dos Santos, who recently took the helm, has been given enough time to instill his tactical identity. A stable squad and experience are combined.
LAFC has already suffered heartbreak twice. They were frustrated at the doorstep of the final in the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2020 and 2023. But the view toward this season is different.
The MLS headquarters said, "This time the flow is different," and noted, "LAFC, which has attacking power, squad depth and experience, has a real chance to reach its first title."
It is also a meaningful stage for Son Heung-min. Even after leaving Europe, questions were not raised about his competitiveness. Rather, he became the central axis lifting LAFC into a title contender. Now the goal is clear. LAFC and Son Heung-min are moving toward another title as North and Central American champions.
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