NEW YORK (Thursday, September 18, 2025) – LAFC forward Son Heung-Min was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra for Matchday 34 of the 2025 MLS season.
Son scored his first career MLS hat trick on the road in LAFC’s 4-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. Through his first six appearances for the club, Son is now up to five goals scored, joining Adama Diomande (seven) and Carlos Vela (five) as the only players in LAFC history to reach that mark in their first six games with the team. The South Korean superstar is the seventh player in club history to produce a hat trick and LAFC now has players in back-to-back games score three goals, after Denis Bouanga netted a hat trick on Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes. In his first six games, LAFC and Son have produced a 3-1-2 record with an average of 2.33 goals per game.
LAFC opened the scoring just three minutes into the match as Timothy Tillman pounced on a Salt Lake turnover and found Son, who took two touches before slotting his finish past the goalkeeper. The South Korean international doubled LAFC’s advantage in the 16th minute after picking up the ball from 26.51 yards away and curling an effort into the side netting. Real Salt Lake pulled a goal back in the second half, but Son completed his hat trick eight minutes from full time when Denis Bouanga unselfishly passed to Son on a counterattack to tap in a close-range finish.
With the honor, Son becomes the first South Korean player to be named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra in MLS history. Son is the first LAFC player to earn the award this season with Denis Bouanga in 2024 (Matchday 14) being the last player from the club to be named MLS Player of the Matchday.
LAFC will look to clinch an Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs position this Sunday, September 21 when they face Real Salt Lake again, with the match being played at BMO Stadium (9 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / Apple TV+ / FS1 / FOX Deportes).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra for Matchday 34 was selected through a media vote in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprised the vote for Matchday 34. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
