Son Heung-min marked his first MLS start with a decisive late assist as LAFC ended a three-match winless streak by defeating the New England Revolution 2-0 in Foxborough on Saturday night.
The South Korean international, featuring from the opening whistle after making his debut from the bench last weekend, helped seal the contest when he set up Mathieu Choinière to double the visitors’ advantage in stoppage time.
Mark Delgado had earlier put LAFC ahead in the 51st minute, capitalising on a defensive lapse after New England lost possession deep in their own half. A loose ball fell kindly to the midfielder on the edge of the area, and he made no mistake, rifling past Matt Turner into the top-right corner.
Son, who came close to scoring moments before Delgado’s opener with a shot that whistled just wide, might have had his first MLS goal late on.
His header was denied by Turner, who scrambled across his goal line to make a fine save. But the former Tottenham forward still made his presence felt, unselfishly squaring for Choinière to finish emphatically.
Hugo Lloris, another former Spurs teammate, produced a commanding performance in goal to keep his ninth clean sheet of the campaign.
The veteran goalkeeper’s finest save came in the 88th minute when he spread himself to block Tomás Chancalay’s close-range strike, preserving the narrow lead before Son and Choinière made sure of the result.
For New England, it was a frustrating evening. The hosts began brightly and nearly took an early lead when Leonardo Campana forced Lloris into a sharp stop at his near post in the 11th minute.
Yet their momentum faded after the interval and they rarely troubled LAFC’s defence once they fell behind.
The defeat, their sixth at home since June, leaves the Revolution (7-12-7, 28 points) still searching for consistency and still eight points adrift of the final Eastern Conference playoff place.
LAFC (11-6-7, 40 points) meanwhile tightened their grip on a top-four spot in the West and will take encouragement from Son’s growing influence, as well as the continued solidity of Lloris between the posts.
