Son Heungmin Absent as LAFC Suffers First Loss of the Season, Falls 1-2 to Portland

Son Heungmin was absent for the first time since joining Los Angeles FC (LAFC) of Major League Soccer, and the team recorded its first defeat of the season.

On April 12 (Korean time), LAFC lost 1-2 in an away match against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, during the 7th round of the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) season. LAFC's unbeaten streak, which had lasted for six matches since the season opener (five wins and one draw), came to an end, and the team fell to second place in the Western Conference with 16 points. The club's longest clean sheet record ended at 571 minutes.

Son Heungmin. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Son Heungmin was omitted from the substitute list and took a rest. Along with Son, captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was also left out of the official match squad.

This was effectively the first time Son Heungmin has been left out of the official match squad since making his LAFC debut in August last year. The two league matches he missed in October last year were during the international break.

With Son Heungmin, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, and several other key players excluded from the starting lineup, LAFC conceded the opening goal to Portland's Cristopher Velde in the 32nd minute of the first half. Although Jude Terry equalized in the 49th minute, LAFC suffered a disappointing defeat after Kevin Kelsy scored in stoppage time of the second half.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.