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| Son Heung-min / Photo: Getty Images |
MLS released its latest team power rankings on March 25 (KST), reflecting the results from Round 5.
The rankings, determined by a 15-member MLS panel, put LAFC atop the list for the fifth consecutive week.
LAFC enter the season with four wins and one draw through five matches and have recorded five consecutive clean sheets, demonstrating dominant form. That run pushes their season-opening shutout streak past the previous mark set by the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2012—over 427 minutes without conceding.
The league noted LAFC have conceded zero goals across five matches and officially set the MLS record for the longest shutout streak to start a season.
LAFC sit on 13 points and are slated to face Mexico's Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals. Though their winning streak ended with a draw against Austin FC in league play, MLS officials said they do not expect any major issues.
Still, there are concerns that LAFC's on-field performances haven't always matched the results. In the recent match with Austin, the team failed to score in 90 minutes, and last season's breakout duo—Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga—were unusually quiet.
Son and Bouanga combined for 26 of LAFC's 65 goals last season, forming a devastating attacking pair, but both have struggled to make the same impact this year.
That dip in production is partly down to tactical changes from head coach Marc Dos Santos. To spread the attacking load that had centered on Son and Bouanga, Dos Santos has sometimes deployed Son deeper in midfield.
As a result, Son is now goalless in eight official matches. He has traveled to Europe for international duty, and many will be watching to see if his offensive spark returns with the national team.
[Sports Today reporter Kang Tae-gu sports@stoo.com]
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