{"id":4001,"date":"2026-08-30T15:49:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T15:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/?p=4001"},"modified":"2026-09-02T21:58:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T21:58:48","slug":"son-heung-min-draws-the-spotlight-as-d-c-united-battles-lafc-to-scoreless-draw-at-audi-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/?p=4001","title":{"rendered":"Son Heung-min Draws the Spotlight as D.C. United Battles LAFC to Scoreless Draw at Audi Field"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Story and Photos by Shawn Payne<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match Date:<\/strong> August 29, 2026 | Audi Field, Washington, D.C.<\/strong> | MLS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 There was a different kind of energy surrounding Audi Field Saturday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long before the opening whistle, much of the attention was centered on LAFC star Son Heung-min, whose appearance in the District helped turn an already anticipated matchup between D.C. United and Los Angeles FC into one of the more talked-about nights at Audi Field this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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LAFC fans turn out to support Son Heung-Min against DC United at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DC United fans turn out to support the home team against LAFC at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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LAFC fans turn out to see #7 forward Son Heung-Min at their game against DC United at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With a sold-out crowd filling the stadium, supporters came ready to see one of the biggest names in Major League Soccer. But once the match began, D.C. United made sure the night would be about more than Son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LAFC forward #7 Son Heung-min takes on a D.C. United defender down the wing during Saturday\u2019s match at Audi Field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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LAFC #7 Son Heung-min during Saturday\u2019s match against D.C. United at Audi Field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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LAFC forward #7 Son Heung-min takes on a D.C. United defender during Saturday\u2019s match at Audi Field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Black-and-Red went toe-to-toe with LAFC for 90 minutes, frustrating the visitors and earning a point in a 0\u20130 draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D.C. entered the match without leading scorer Tai Baribo and suspended defender Silvan Hefti, putting additional pressure on a lineup facing an LAFC attack featuring Son and Denis Bouanga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kimito Nono was given one of the night\u2019s most difficult assignments, spending much of the match matched up with Son on D.C.\u2018s right side. Nono responded with a strong defensive performance, finishing the night with seven defensive contributions and seven recoveries as D.C. limited LAFC\u2019s opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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D.C. United No. 2 Kimito Nono defends LAFC No. 7 Son Heung-min down the wing during Saturday\u2019s match at Audi Field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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D.C. United No. 2 Kimito Nono checks on LAFC No. 7 Son Heung-min following a challenge during Saturday\u2019s match at Audi Field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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D.C. United No. 2 Kimito Nono defends LAFC No. 7 Son Heung-min near the corner flag during Saturday\u2019s match at Audi Field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Goalkeeper Sean Johnson was also called upon in the first half as LAFC looked for a breakthrough. Bouanga produced one of the visitors\u2019 better opportunities, while Son continued trying to find space behind the D.C. defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D.C. wasn\u2019t content simply sitting back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nathan Ordaz, making his first start for D.C. United against his former club, was active in the attack and created four chances before leaving late in the match. Jo\u00e3o Peglow also provided much of D.C.\u2019s creativity, creating seven chances over 90 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DC United defender goes up for a defensive header against LAFC at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DC United defender gives directions to fellow players against LAFC at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DC United player holds off defender against LAFC at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Neither side, however, could find the finishing touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the match moved deeper into the second half, what began as a night surrounded by the excitement of Son\u2019s appearance increasingly became a defensive statement from D.C. United.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Black-and-Red kept LAFC scoreless through the final whistle and walked away from Audi Field with a point from the 0\u20130 draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DC United forward holds of defender in their game against LAFC at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DC United fans showing support against LAFC at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DC United goalkeeper making a clearance against LAFC game at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For a crowd that arrived with plenty of attention focused on one of the league\u2019s biggest stars, D.C. United made certain the home side had its own reason to leave an impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Game Highlights<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Story and Photos by Shawn Payne Match Date: August 29, 2026 | Audi Field, Washington, D.C. | MLS WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 There was a different kind of energy surrounding Audi Field Saturday night. Long before the opening whistle, much of the attention was centered on LAFC star Son Heung-min, whose appearance in the District helped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[28,25,71,72,33,27,50],"class_list":["post-4001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-audi-stadium","tag-dc-united","tag-lafc","tag-los-angeles-fc","tag-major-league-soccer","tag-mls","tag-soccer"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":7}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4001"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4104,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4001\/revisions\/4104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}