The winner of the Korean derby was Jeong Sang-bin. Son Heung-min was silent again and LAFC collapsed. Meanwhile Jeong Sang-bin served as the starting point for the attack build-up and even rewrote the club's history.
LAFC lost 1-2 to St. Louis City in an away match in the 13th round of the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) at ENERZAi Park in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., on the 14th (Korean time).
It was a shocking turn of events. LAFC fell into a slump of three consecutive official losses, starting with the 0-4 rout by Toluca in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final second leg on the 7th, followed by a 1-4 loss to Houston and then the defeat to St. Louis on this day. Including the 2-2 draw with San Diego, the team has gone four matches without a win.
The momentum that had seen them near the top of the Western Conference early in the season was completely broken. With this loss LAFC fell to fourth in the Western Conference (6-3-4, 21 points).
Above all, Son Heung-min's goal drought is growing longer. Son played the full match again but failed to score for the 11th consecutive league game. He already has eight assists, but goals are not coming. Including the Champions Cup, he has gone eight official matches without scoring.
By contrast, Jeong Sang-bin was different.
Starting for St. Louis, Jeong Sang-bin played the role of the initial spark for the opening goal in the fourth minute of the first half. After collecting a pass from the back on the right side, Jeong immediately connected it to Marcel Hartel. Eduardo Løven's cutback was then finished by Thomas Totland to complete the opening goal.
It was not recorded as an assist, but it was a key moment that created the attacking flow. At the center of St. Louis's characteristic quick transition play was Jeong Sang-bin.
Son Heung-min also tried to fight back. In the 44th minute of the first half he attempted a curling left-footed shot but could not get it past the defensive wall. His follow-up second shot was also blocked. In first-half stoppage time he created an equalizing chance from a free kick, but a teammate's header went wide.
St. Louis made a change immediately at the start of the second half by taking off Jeong Sang-bin. And the substitution that gambled on the result paid off.
In the 19th minute of the second half, LAFC's defense failed to properly deal with a cross from Sergio Córdoba, and Rafael Santos scored a second goal with a right-footed shot.
LAFC did not give up easily. In the 28th minute of the second half David Martínez cut inside and pulled one back with a composed finish. But that was as far as they got.
In the second half Son Heung-min dropped not only to the front but also into a deeper shadow striker role to try to turn things around, but he ultimately failed to record an attacking point.
In the end the match finished as a 2-1 victory for St. Louis. A meaningful record also emerged: this was the first time in the club's history that St. Louis beat LAFC.
And at the center of it was Jeong Sang-bin. Meanwhile Son Heung-min again could not smile.
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