Son Heung-min Matches Ridiculous Lionel Messi Milestone in ‘Savage’ LAFC Thrashing

Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga are back in form, delivering a display in Saturday’s 6–0 win over Orlando City which LAFC manager Marc Dos Santos fairly described as “savage.”

Son, who established instant chemistry with Bouanga after arriving from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, rekindled the potent partnership with four assists in the first 39 minutes. Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi is the only other player in MLS history to rack up four or more assists in a single half across the competition’s history.

Bouanga was the main beneficiary of Son’s outstanding play, scoring a hat-trick entirely created by his South Korean teammate in just nine minutes. That represented the third-fastest treble in MLS history, tying Alejandro Moreno’s mark set with the LA Galaxy in 2004.

Hat-trick in 30 minutes?

Nothing is off the table for Denis Bouanga. 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/HQTapnoX53
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 5, 2026

And even though Son is still awaiting his first goal of 2026, the league-leader in assists has made it evident that he remains in peak condition, even as he enters the twilight of his career at 33 years old.

“Sonny has been amazing,” Dos Santos said postmatch, having pushed Son up the pitch and shifted Bouanga to the left wing for the first time this season. “He doesn’t have to score every time. He has to help the team, and that’s what he’s doing, so I see it differently.

“[He was] involved in our five goals in the first half. What more can we ask? If people think he’s going to score five goals in every game, it’s delusional... What a performance in the first half... It was savage, the way he played.”

It's 5️⃣!!!

Sonny with a hat-trick of assists in the first half. 🎩 pic.twitter.com/EF3FleDCL0
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 5, 2026

Between the sticks, six saves from 2018 World Cup winner Hugo Lloris kept LAFC’s already record-breaking season-opening clean sheet streak intact, now sitting at six games for 540 minutes. Still, it’s not yet reached the club’s longest shutout streak, having hit a 549-minute clean sheet burst in the middle of the 2024 season.

They also ensured they were the last undefeated team in the league after six matches, while also keeping sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.

Outside of Bouanga’s hat-trick, LAFC got goals from Sergi Palencia and Tyler Boyd, and an own goal from David Brekalo, as well as an assist from Canada international Jacob Shaffelburg, who made his debut for the club after having surgery in the offseason.

Champions Cup Dreaming

Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga hope to bring their form into the Champions Cup against Cruz Azul. | Kevork Djansezian/MLS/Getty Images

With three points secured and their undefeated record intact, LAFC now shifts focus to the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals and a massive midweek clash against Liga MX giants and 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup winners, Cruz Azul.

It took a late effort in Costa Rica for LAFC to advance past Alajuelense, but their form in league and continental play has them dreaming of glory in every competition.

“It’s a very good team in Mexico. It’s going to be a good fight,” Bouanga said postmatch, before Palencia added: “We went to our job, and everybody is doing great with no selfishness. It’s great to have the squad that we have, and it’s huge for us to prepare for Cruz Azul.”

Despite playing as a Concacaf representative in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, LAFC has never won the Champions Cup, having lost the final to Mexican opposition in both 2020 and 2023. Following Wednesday’s first leg against Cruz Azul in front of their home crowd at BMO Stadium, the Black and Gold look to next week’s away match against the Portland Timbers.

“We keep [trying] to score, we keep [trying] to not concede,” Bouanga added. “We don’t talk about the records, you go on the field for wins, and this is a good feeling when you finish the game like that, you score, and you don’t concede a goal. Now we keep going.”