After an exciting opening round of 2026 FIFA World Cup action in the group stages, we reached the real gritty part of the first stage in the tournament. Match day 2 in the group stages are where some nations can secure their spot in the knockout rounds, or in some cases, outright win the group, putting themselves in a great spot for the final group stage match. For the boys of LAFC, none of them secured knockouts just yet, in what was a mixed bag of results for their respective nations in the second match of group stage action.
7️⃣🇰🇷 pic.twitter.com/vitksnAOH5
— LAFC (@LAFC) June 19, 2026
We start with Heung-Min Son and South Korea, where the superstar forward has unfortunately continued to struggle. Coming into the second match of group stage play, the tension had risen for the South Korean, as the local media for his national team were caught saying some not so flattering things about the slumping striker. Not to mention the team had to go up against the favorites, Mexico, who were looking to wrap up the group with a game to spare after their own opening win over South Africa.
South Korea held their own and then some during the match, going into halftime break tied at zero, with Mexico struggling to find a way through the Korean defense. Unfortunately for them, they too struggled to take advantage of the few moments they did breakthrough the Mexican defense, unable to put the ball into the back of the net. The early strategy was definitely heavily focused on Sonny, feeding him long passes to get over the line of defense and put him into space to attack the goalkeeper. Son finished the match with a rating of 6.8. To put it into context, midfielder Kang-In Lee was the highest rated for South Korea in the match, finishing with 7.2. The most damning number for Son, his 0.01 xG (expected goals), to go along with just 19 touches in his 57 minutes played, just two of those touches occurring in Mexico’s box.
Mexico ended up winning the match after scoring a goal that was chaotic at best, taking advantage of a miscommunication between the South Korean goalkeeper and a defender, that saw them collide, the ball squirt free, and Mexico tap in the mistake for the lead and eventual win. Shortly after the goal, Sonny was subbed out, completing 57 minutes in the match, ending what was yet another rough outing for the forward. South Korea still sit in 2nd place in Group A despite the loss, but will have to at least get a draw in their final match against South Africa, if they want to secure their spot in the knockout rounds. The final match of Group A will take place on Wednesday, June 24th, from Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.
SHAFFELBURGGGGGG 👏
Jacob’s strike takes a deflection and ends up in the back of the net for Canada’s 5th goal 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/cnAO7U8Scy
— LAFC (@LAFC) June 18, 2026
It was a far better match day 2 for Son’s LAFC teammates representing Canada. Much like their first match, the only black & gold starter for Canada was midfielder Stephen Eustáquio, while midfielder Mathieu Choiniére once again failed to see a single minute, despite the incredibly favorable result on the day. The story of the day though was LAFC forward Jacob Shaffelburg seemingly scoring his first-ever World Cup goal, shortly after being subbed on in the 71st minute. We say seemingly because as of the writing of this story, the goal has been ruled an Own Goal, putting the young forward back at 0 World Cup goals, but while they can officially take away his goal tally, they can’t take away the vibes of the moment where it seemed like he was the first LAFC player to find the back of the net this tournament.
Another one is in the back of the net for Canada 🇨🇦
They are piling it on in the second half pic.twitter.com/a4HNrfFt7w
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2026
Alas, while he may not officially be World Cup goalscorer, Shaffelburg has been in his super sub era for Canada, providing not just a spark off the bench, but showing himself capable of taking on even more as he continues to grow as a player. Even with limited minutes this match, he finished with 34 touches, eight of which were in the opponent’s box, completed 17/18 accurate passes and created two chances for his side (not including his own shot that ended in the back of the net).
Eustáquio had another terrific performance as well, finishing with a team-high 113 touches in he match, with only one being in the opponent’s box, but he did have 13 passes into the final third completed, showing how well he was pulling the strings from the middle of the pitch. He competed 87/93 of his passes, and even made an impact defensively with three tackles and a clearance during the big win. Canada had their way with Qatar, winning 6-0 in a match they completely dominated. Canada currently sit atop Group B, but face Switzerland in the final group stage match. The Swiss are second in the group, but are tied on points with Canada (4), making this final group stage match one that will decide who wins the group. That match will take place on June 24th, with Canada at home in BC Place Vancouver.
Through two matches of World Cup action it’s clear Stephen Eustàquio is having the best start from the LAFC guys, with Shaffelburg getting tantalizingly close to securing his first-ever World Cup goal, while Choinière can’t seem to buy minutes at the moment. Perhaps the most concerning for LAFC fans has been the continued struggles for Sonny, who just can’t get right at the moment. South Korea will likely advance out of Group A, so there will be time for the forward to get his confidence going, but as it stands, it has been a rough 2026 campaign for Heung-Min Son.
Thoughts on the boys at the World Cup? Drop a comment below!