Son Heung-min, 34, played the full match for LAFC but was unable to extend the team's winning run after being denied by the woodwork.
NEW YORK — LAFC drew 1-1 with New York City FC in a 2026 Major League Soccer regular-season away match at Citi Field on the 17th. LAFC, which had seized a chance to rebound by winning its previous game after five matches without a victory, had to settle for a second straight unbeaten result — one win and one draw — instead of back-to-back wins.
With 46 points, LAFC remained sixth in the Western Conference. That keeps the club inside the top seven, which earns a direct berth in the first round of the playoffs, but the margin over the chasing pack is narrow enough to leave little comfort.
Son started as an attacking midfielder behind striker Denis Bouanga and stayed on until the final whistle. After scoring once and adding two assists against Austin, he failed to add a goal contribution and stayed on seven goals and 15 assists for the season.
The most frustrating moment came in stoppage time in the second half. With the score level at 1-1, Son broke forward on the counterattack. He cut into the right side of the penalty area and struck a right-footed shot that came back off the left post. The final whistle sounded moments after the ball failed to cross the goal line, and Son stared out at the field with a look of dejection. It was the moment that both a second consecutive goal for Son and a win for LAFC slipped away.
If LAFC fails to add points in its remaining fixtures, the club could drop into the playoff wild-card round. Son's return to scoring form has emerged as the variable that could decide the team's fate.
Elsewhere, St. Louis City's Jeong Sang-bin scored his fifth goal of the season away at Minnesota, but had no reason to smile as his side lost 3-2 after leading. Jeong completed the team's second goal in the 10th minute, collecting a pass from Rafael Navarro on the counterattack with St. Louis already 1-0 ahead. It was his first goal in about a month, since the U.S. Open Cup semifinal against Colorado on Sept. 17.
St. Louis, however, conceded three goals in the second half alone and threw away a win it had all but secured.