By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was a night worthy of a picture or two for Son Heung-min.
The LAFC forward scored two goals in a three-minute span in the first half off assists from Carles Gil to propel the MLS All-Stars past the Liga MX All-Stars, 4-3, in Wednesday night’s Major League Soccer All-Star Game.
Son celebrated both goals with his signature “camera” celebration – mimicking holding an old-fashioned camera, framing the shot with his fingers and then pretending to snap a picture.
Son was named the game’s MVP.
“I had great players, amazing players around me and that made my job easier,” said Son, who played for South Korea in the World Cup. “Scoring two goals makes the night really special.”
Chicago Fire’s Philip Zinckernagel and FC Cincinnati’s Evander da Silva Ferreira also scored for the MLS All-Stars in front of 35,197 at Bank of America Stadium.
Luis Gabriel Rey sent a running header off a free kick past Matt Freese, the United States men’s national team goalkeeper, 10 minutes into the game to give Liga MX a 1-0 lead.
Then Son took over.
The LAFC forward fielded a pass from Gil on the left side of the pitch, settled the ball and slid a well-placed shot past a diving Carlos Acevedo to even the score at the 20-minute mark.
Son gave MLS the lead for good just moments later when Gil hustled to stop the ball from going out of play and fired a pass back in front of the goal. Son buried the shot in the back of the net.
“He’s an unbelievable player,” Hany Mukhtar, a midfielder for Nashville FC, said of Son. “He’s a world class player for a reason. He shows it every week, and we all know how good he is. We see it in training, and I’m not surprised at what he did.”
Zinckernagel made it 3-1 MLS in the 42nd minute when he scored off a rebound.
Liga MX got to within 3-2 early in the second half on a goal by Salomon Rondon, before Ferreira’s goal in the 58th minute gave MLS some cushion. Jose Pardela added a late goal in extra time for LIGA MX to make it 4-3.
MESSI SITS OUT
The biggest star in MLS, Lionel Messi of Inter Miami, did not play.
Messi was not at the game after Argentina made a deep run in the World Cup before falling to Spain in the final. Messi has 12 goals and eight assists for Inter Miami at the All-Star break.
He and teammate Rodrigo De Paul received an excused absence from MLS.
CHARLOTTE EYES 2031 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Charlotte is hoping that hosting the MLS All-Star Game serves as a precursor to being selected as a host city for the 2031 Women’s World Cup.
The city has strongly supported its Charlotte FC team, and the stadium also drew rave reviews from the U.S. men’s team after its pre-World Cup exhibition match against Senegal, which was well attended.
Bank of America Stadium is undergoing a $1.3 billion renovation project that should be completed by 2030.