The goals have disappeared. Instead, the passes remain. Local assessments of Son Heung-min (LAFC) are changing. He is no longer viewed as a winger who tore through opposing defenses with explosive finishes, but as a player who designs attacks and delivers the final pass.
LAFC beat Minnesota United 1-0 in the 10th round of the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) season at Allianz Field in Minnesota on the 25th (Korea time). Son Heung-min was left out of the lineup that day. It was a rotation rest ahead of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal first leg against Toluca, which is scheduled for midweek.
LAFC did not falter even without Son Heung-min. Martinez opened the scoring in the ninth minute of the first half, and the team held the lead to complete a clean-sheet victory. With 20 points, LAFC remained third in the Western Conference. Judged by the result alone, it was a game they won without Son Heung-min.
But questions surrounding Son Heung-min have grown. This season he has 2 goals and 10 assists in 14 official matches. By the numbers he remains the core of the team's attack. The problem is he has yet to score in MLS league matches. Given Son Heung-min's reputation, it is an unfamiliar trend.
U.S. outlet Olé also pointed this out. The outlet said, "Son Heung-min is now devoting himself to managing the attack to provide the final pass. In doing so, he still remains a core of LAFC." It sounded like praise, but it was also a declaration of change.
The outlet then offered a colder analysis. "Son Heung-min is no longer the deadly winger who would break defensive lines and finish. Under coach Mark Dos Santos he has been repositioned as a false No. 9 or an attacking midfielder, taking on a role closer to build-up play than finishing," it said.
In the past, Son Heung-min's greatest weapon was the space behind defenses. Instantaneous runs, two-footed finishing and the speed to break defensive lines were his trademarks. At Tottenham, once space opened he would sprint straight to the goal. From the opponent's defensive perspective, he was the type of winger they most wanted to avoid.
But Son Heung-min at LAFC is different. This season coach Dos Santos has dropped Son a step deeper. Rather than forcing him to take on risky wide runs and finishes when opposing defenses focus on him, the structure chosen is for him to drop to receive the ball and unlock attacks. Son draws attention, and Deni Buanga and the second-line players finish from better positions.
The effect is clear. LAFC reached the Champions Cup semifinals and maintain a top position in the league. Son's goals have decreased, but his assists have exploded. Ten assists in official matches are no coincidence. He remains the starting point and the linking piece of the team's attack.
Still, it is a bittersweet change for Son personally. The record of no goals in MLS continues to follow him. The player who used to be the direct finisher now takes on a role closer to a helper. Even if it is a change for the team, it is also true that the image of Son as a "deadly winger" that defined him is fading.
In the end, the key is balance. It is not enough for Son Heung-min to survive as an orchestrator of the attack. If LAFC aims higher, Son's goals at decisive moments are also needed. A Son who racks up assists is still a good player. But the Son everyone remembers was also a player who scored goals.
LAFC is winning. Son Heung-min is contributing. But local assessments have already changed. He is no longer the explosive winger of old. Whether Son will accept this evaluation or overturn it with goals again has become LAFC's biggest storyline this season.<
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