Ryan Hollingshead heaped praise on Son Heung-min ahead of Los Angeles FC’s first post-season clash, saying he believes the MLS Cup is “very attainable” this year.

LAFC host Austin FC at BMO Stadium on Wednesday in the opening match of a best-of-three first-round series in the Western Conference playoffs, with the first side to two wins progressing.

After a strong finish to the regular season, LAFC secured third place, just three points behind the Vancouver Whitecaps and San Diego FC.

And Hollingshead credited Son’s arrival as a major factor in their success, praising both his quality on the pitch and his infectious personality.

“It’s why I love this club,” Hollingshead told MLSoccer.com.

“They don't just sign big names that can perform on the football field, but they sign these guys that they want to have as part of the identity of their club.

“This guy [Son] always has a smile on his face, always trying to tell a joke. Sometimes you can understand them, sometimes you can’t.

“Sometimes the joke makes sense, sometimes it doesn’t. And no matter what, he’s just like, smiley and giddy and happy, and he’s the type of guy that you just want to be around.”

Hollingshead also highlighted the South Korean forward’s on-field influence, describing how his blend of quality and character has lifted the entire squad.

“When you bring in a guy like that, that's quality on the pitch, and also a good friend and good team-mate, you can just see the way that it’s affected our club and the way that it’s affected our product on the field,” he continued.

“It’s part of the DNA here to be fighting for trophies each year.

“But when you add Sonny to the equation, and you add the players that we've added, the depth that we have right now with our team, it’s hard not to have your sights set there and feel like it’s very attainable for us this year.”

Austin, meanwhile, finished sixth in the regular season on 47 points but stumbled toward the end, losing three of their final four matches heading into the playoffs.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LAFC – Son Heung-min

Son has found the net nine times in 10 appearances for LAFC since his arrival from Tottenham in August, including four-match openers.

In his last outing against Colorado, he broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute and scored with his only shot on target.

Austin FC – Owen Wolff

Wolff did not score a goal through his first 24 games of 2025 (all competitions) but he has scored seven goals in his 15 games since then, including the game-winning goal when Austin faced LAFC earlier in October.

If Austin are to upset the odds here, then Wolff could well be crucial.

MATCH PREDICTION: LAFC WIN

LAFC are pegged as heavy favourites ahead of Wednesday’s clash, despite Austin holding a favourable recent record against Steve Cherundolo’s side.

Austin are unbeaten in the last four MLS matches against LAFC, having swept the regular season series with a pair of 1-0 wins. No team has ever earned three straight shutout wins against LAFC across all competitions.

The Black & Gold, meanwhile, are seeking their first league win over Austin since October 2023, having been outscored 4-2 during that stretch.

However, LAFC’s impressive playoff pedigree should inspire plenty of confidence. They have found the net in 15 of their 16 all-time post-season matches, scoring in all 11 home playoff games.

In fact, LAFC netted multiple goals in eight of their first nine home playoff fixtures, though they have been limited to a single strike in each of their last two.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LAFC – 65.0%

Draw – 18.8%

Austin FC – 16.2%