Son Heung-min scores first MLS hat-trick for LA FC

“Put on your sunglasses. Son is shining.”

The Major League Soccer office used this expression on Sept. 18 while reporting LA FC’s regular-season match against Real Salt Lake. The wording plays on the similarity between the English word “Sun” and Son Heung-min’s surname. MLS also posted a headline reading, “Son-sational! LA FC Superstar Scores First MLS Hat-Trick,” blending his name with the word “sensational” to highlight the extraordinary nature of his performance. Son’s three goals in the away match helped LA FC to a 4-1 victory, making the praise well deserved.

Son opened the scoring just three minutes into the match. Receiving a pass from Timothy Tillman, he dribbled into the penalty area and struck with his right foot to send the ball into the net. In LA FC’s Sept. 14 match against San Jose EarthQuake, Son had scored his first MLS field goal just 53 seconds after kickoff, and this game saw him produce another lightning-fast opener.

Building on his strong form with goals in consecutive MLS matches, Son scored his second goal in the 16th minute from the left side of the penalty arc with a right-footed long-range shot. In the 37th minute of the second half, he completed his first MLS hat-trick on a counterattack, sliding to finish a pass from Dennis Bouanga of Gabon. This was Son’s first hat-trick since scoring three goals for Tottenham Hotspur in an English Premier League match against Burnley on Sept. 2, 2023, 747 days earlier. Son’s fifth goal of the MLS season, he celebrated with Bouanga using a front-flip routine.

This marked the eighth time Son has scored a hat-trick or more in a club match since his professional debut. He recorded two hat-tricks with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and five during his time at Tottenham Hotspur. Notably, he scored four goals in a single match against Southampton in September 2020, leading Tottenham to a 5-2 victory. Scoring four goals in a single match is referred to as a “haul.”

During his time at Tottenham Hotspur, Son formed the “Son-Kane duo” with Harry Kane, combining for 47 goals. At LA FC, he has been leading the attack alongside Dennis Bouanga, who scored a hat-trick in the San Jose match. Fans have dubbed the pair the “Heung-Boo duo.” After the match, Son said, “Playing with Bouanga is really enjoyable. He sets things up well, and it feels like we create good synergy together.”

Including two goals in international matches against the United States and Mexico this month, Son has now scored in four consecutive official matches. Football statistics site WhoScored.com gave him a perfect rating of 10. Since joining LA FC last month, he has quickly adapted to the team, recording five goals and two assists in six MLS games. Son said, “I still consider this a period of adaptation. I believe I can perform even better.” Another statistics site, FotMob, awarded him a rating of 9.7.

With five regular-season games remaining, LA FC moved into fourth place in the Western Conference with 47 points, recording 13 wins, eight draws, and seven losses. They are 12 points ahead of ninth-place San Jose, the cutoff for MLS Cup playoff qualification, which has 35 points. Since Son joined the team, LA FC has enjoyed a strong run, posting three wins, two draws, and one loss.


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