MLS Winners and Losers: Son Heung-min’s LAFC, Toronto FC’s new era & more

It’s in the title, folks. Every week during the MLS season, Backheeled will dive into the biggest Winners and Losers from around the league. This week, we’re examining Son Heung-min’s debut for LAFC, a new beginning for an Eastern Conference cellar-dweller, FC Dallas’ Lucho Acosta-less existence, and more.

Winner: LAFC

On Wednesday, LAFC announced the acquisition of South Korean and Tottenham star Son Heung-min. On Saturday, he earned the game-tying penalty for his new team. That, folks, is what you expect when you pay an MLS-record transfer fee of $26.5 million to sign one of the best Premier League players of the last decade. 

With LAFC trailing by a goal on the road against the Fire, Son sprinted behind Chicago’s center backs on a 77th minute counter attack. Carlos Teran brought him down and, after a VAR review necessitated by the fact that the center referee simply couldn’t keep up with the game’s — and Son’s — breakneck pace, the visitors were awarded a penalty kick. 

What’s the old expression about speed killing? Ah, here it is: speed kills.

At 33, there were questions about how much of the pace that made Son such a terror for Spurs would be left in his legs. His debut did something to answer those questions.