Son leads LAFC to first-leg edge over Toluca

Son Heung-min assisted both goals as Los Angeles FC beat Toluca 2-1 in the first leg of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.

LAFC earned the home win Wednesday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Starting at center forward, Son was central to both scoring plays.

He set up the opener six minutes into the second half. A cross from Sergi Palencia took a deflection and fell to Son inside the penalty area. With his back to goal, he nudged the ball upward with his right foot, setting up Timothy Tillman to control and finish with a right-footed shot.

With the match level at 1-1, Son delivered again in stoppage time. From a free kick on the left side of the box, he curled a precise ball toward the near post, where Nkosi Tafari headed in the winner.

The two assists raised Son’s total to 14 across all competitions this season. Football statistics platform FotMob gave him a match-high rating of 8.6.

The second leg will be played May 7 at Estadio Nemesio Diez in Toluca, Mexico. LAFC needs only a draw to reach the final, though the venue’s altitude of about 2,700 meters could be a factor.

Separately, the Korea Football Association said Hong Myung-bo will announce the final squad for the 2026 World Cup on May 16 at the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Seoul.

Group A, which includes South Korea, Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Africa, will be the first among the tournament’s 12 groups to begin play. The early schedule means the team will skip a domestic send-off and head to a pre-tournament camp in the United States to prepare for high-altitude matches. The first group, led by Hong, is set to depart for Salt Lake City on May 18.


한종호기자 hjh@donga.com