Son Heung-min (LAFC) is back on the hunt for goals. He led the team's attack early in the season and accumulated assists, but having been silent for the past four matches, attention is on whether he can regain his scoring touch on the North American stage.
LAFC will play Costa Rica's LD Alajuelense in the first leg of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on the 11th (Korean time).
This tournament matters a great deal to LAFC. They reached the final twice, in 2020 and 2023, but finished as runners-up both times. The club is treating this season as an opportunity to challenge for the title for the first time.
The CONCACAF Champions Cup is the top club competition in the North American and Caribbean region. It holds the same status as Europe's UEFA Champions League, and the winner earns a spot in the 2029 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Club World Cup. A total of 27 teams from CONCACAF member nations, including the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, Panama and Honduras, are participating.
Alajuelense, which LAFC will face, is the winner of the CONCACAF Central American Cup. They are not an easy opponent, but based on recent form LAFC appears to have the upper hand.
LAFC have continued a five-match winning streak in official competitions since their 6-1 victory over Real España in the first leg of the Champions Cup first round last month. In particular, they have shown solid defensive strength by keeping clean sheets in their last four matches, maintaining stable game management.
At the center of this is Son Heung-min. Playing as the main striker, he serves as the starting point of the team's attack. Including the season opener, in which he had one goal and three assists, he has so far recorded one goal and six assists in official matches, continuing to produce attacking points.
Son Heung-min's influence goes beyond scoring records. Through aggressive pressing and selfless movement up front, he disrupts opponents' build-up and contributes to the team's defensive stability. Observers say his work rate has had a considerable impact on LAFC's current run of four consecutive clean sheets.
However, the fact that his scoring has recently stopped is a regretful point. Son Heung-min has not scored in four matches since the season opener. His only goal this season also came from a penalty kick.
The difference is even more striking compared with last season. Although he joined in the middle of last season, he led the team's attack with 12 goals and four assists in 13 matches.
For that reason, opposing teams this season have applied strong marking on Son Heung-min. In the match against the Houston Dynamo, two opposing players were sent off while trying to stop Son Heung-min.
Son Heung-min also appears to focus on creating chances for teammates rather than forcing shots. However, for LAFC to be regarded as a contender for the tournament title, more decisive finishing in attack is needed.
In this situation, the match against Alajuelense could be a good opportunity for Son Heung-min. Alajuelense have conceded 12 goals in 11 league matches this season, giving up more than one goal per game on average.
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