Son Heung-min did not just help LAFC beat Orlando City. He changed the way the game looked.
Marc Dos Santos shifted Son into a second forward-type role on Saturday at BMO Stadium, and the move paid off in a 6-0 rout. With Nathan Ordaz doing the central dirty work, Son was no longer stuck as the lone No. 9 responsible for all the hold-up play. He could receive the ball facing forward, and he ended the night with four assists.
The size of the result mattered because LAFC had not posted more than 1.3 expected goals in any of the four matches between its season-opening win over Inter Miami and the Orlando City game. That run had left the club leaning on what it already does best: defend. LAFC had still not conceded a goal in MLS play, but Saturday suggested there may be another gear if Son is used this way more often. The postmatch mood reflected that shift, with one message capturing the reaction: “Son Heung-Min ➡️ Denis Bouanga! The Bromance is back. 😎”
The clean scoreline also came with a reminder of how quickly one tactical adjustment can change a team's attack. Dos Santos did not need Son to fight through traffic as much as he did need him in space, and Ordaz's work made that possible. That kind of balance, rather than just another defensive shutout, is what can turn LAFC from hard to beat into dangerous in a hurry.
Elsewhere in MLS, 19-year-old Zavier Gozo made his own case in Real Salt Lake's 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City. Gozo scored, went three-for-four on dribble attempts and later assisted Sergi Solans in the second half, prompting the kind of reaction that followed the goal: “OH MY, GOZO! 🤯” and then, moments later, “The cut and the finish! 😮💨 Sergi Solans extends the @realsaltlake lead!”
His timing matters for a different reason. USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino has zero USMNT camps left before naming his 2026 FIFA World Cup roster, which makes every strong performance easier to notice and harder to ignore. It probably is too late for Gozo to push his way into this summer's squad, but a night like this keeps him in the conversation. For LAFC, the question is whether Son's new role can keep unlocking an attack that has mostly been defined by control. For Gozo, it is whether there is still enough runway left to turn one bright MLS outing into something bigger.
