Son Heung-min put in a formidable performance for Los Angeles FC on Saturday night (UK time). The South Korean star player for the American side provided four assists in under twenty minutes during the Major League Soccer match against Orlando City (6-0). He therefore just missed out on breaking Lionel Messi’s MLS record.
Son (33) had failed to make a direct contribution to the score in two league matches in a row ahead of the game against Orlando, the future employer of Antoine Griezmann. Against Orlando, the striker needed less than twenty minutes.
With LAFC already leading 1-0 thanks to an own goal by David Brekalo, Son sent teammate Denis Bouanga through with a delightful through ball, after which the Gabonese finished with a chip.
Three minutes later, the duo struck again. After an Orlando attack had petered out, LAFC countered at lightning speed. Son sent Bouanga deep and the African showed his class by creating space for a shot with a feint, which ended up in the top corner.
But that wasn’t all. In the 28th minute, Bouanga played a one-two with Son, who returned the ball just in time to the onrushing Gabonese. Bouanga finished with great conviction once again and had his hat-trick.
In the 39th minute, LAFC made it 5-0, and once again Bouanga and Son were instrumental. The South Korean was sent deep by Bouanga and then delivered a sharp cross. Sergi Palencia finished it off. In the 70th minute, just under fifteen minutes after Son was substituted, Tyler Boyd sealed the final score at 6-0.
It took Son a total of 19 minutes and 32 seconds to rack up four assists. That fell just short of an MLS record for the Spurs legend, as Lionel Messi set an even faster time in May 2024 whilst playing for Inter Miami, recording four assists against the New York Red Bulls in 18 minutes and 57 seconds.