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Son Heung-min scores a double but misses a penalty for a loss against the Vancouver Whitecaps

Published: 23 Nov. 2025, 17:53

Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min reacts during a Western Conference playoff match against the Vancouver Whitecaps in Vancouver, Canada, on Nov. 22. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min scored a double against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Western Conference semifinals of the MLS Cup playoffs on Saturday, though he missed a shot in the penalty shootout in his side's 4-3 loss on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

LAFC were down 2-0 in Vancouver, Canada, after Emmanuel Sabbi opened the scoring in the 39th minute and Mathias Laborda extended the lead in the 46th.

Son pulled one back by capitalizing on the mix-up in front of the goal in the 60th minute. LAFC dominated the closing minutes, with the Whitecaps reduced to nine men due to injuries and a red card.

Son came back again in the 95th minute, scoring a free kick into the top left corner and forcing the game into overtime — and later a penalty shootout.

He stood up as the first taker, but he hit the goalpost, with his teammate Marco Delgado also missing the team's third shot. After Edier Ocampo missed the fourth, winning the game came down to whether Laborda could score the Whitecaps' fifth shot.

Laborda did find the back of the net, sending the Whitecaps to their first Western Conference final.

LAFC's loss ends Son's first MLS journey with the club. He joined in August after a decade with Tottenham Hotspur, during which he racked up 173 goals and 101 assists across 454 appearances, became the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2021-22 campaign and ended the London club's 17-year trophy drought by lifting the Europa League title in the 2024-25 season.

Had they won, this victory would have marked Son's second trophy and LAFC's second MLS Cup, which it first won in 2022, when Son's former Spurs teammate Gareth Bale played for the club.

Son still showed a strong performance during the 2025 MLS campaign, with 12 goals and four assists across 13 MLS appearances.

He will have a break until the 2026 season unfolds in February. Since LAFC is hosting Inter Miami in the season opener, a Son and Lionel Messi matchup may be possible.

Son was linked to multiple European clubs for a winter loan spell, but he dismissed those rumors. The 2026 regular season will kick off in February before pausing in May for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The upcoming World Cup will mark the fourth in Son's career. He already holds the all-time cap record for Korea at 141 with 54 goals and 24 assists.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]