Son Heung-min scores 2 as MLS All-Stars post 4-3 win over LIGA MX All-Stars

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — It was a night worthy of a picture or two for Son Heung-min.

Son 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.

The Los Angeles Football Club forward 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,” said 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.

MLS’ biggest star, 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 finals. 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 Major League Soccer.

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 FIFA World Cup.

The city has strongly supported its Charlotte FC team, and the stadium also drew rave reviews from the USMNT team after its friendly against Senegal, which was well attended.

Bank of America Stadium is undergoing a $1.3 billion renovation project that should be completed by 2030.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

MLS All-Star Philip Zinckernagel (11) celebrates after scoring during the MLS All-Star soccer game Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)

Liga MX All-star Luis Rey (16) celebrates a goal with Jesus Gallardo (23) during the MLS All-Star soccer game Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)

MLS All-Star Philip Zinckernagel (11) celebrates after scoring during the MLS All-Star soccer game Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)

MLS All-Star Son Heung-min (7) celebrates after scoring with Carles Gil (21) during the MLS All-Star soccer game Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)

MLS All-Star Son Heung-min (7) celebrates after scoring during the MLS All-Star soccer game Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)

KUMAMOTO, Japan (AP) — Rural communities in southwestern Japan were struggling to get their lives back to normal Thursday, two days after a powerful earthquake set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes, killing at least 23 people.

Time was running out to find survivors, as rescuers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Japan ’s southern main island of Kyushu, where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Tuesday.

The number of those missing was unclear. The quake left at least 63 people injured, five of them seriously, the Kumamoto prefectural government said.

Survivors spoke about coming home and desperately pulling family members out of the wreckage. Some had suffered injuries and were rushed to the hospital.

Thousands of people spent another night at evacuation centers set up throughout the area in gymnasiums and other big spaces. Some homes were still without water or electricity, while others were simply afraid to go back.

Although Japan boasts strict building codes because of the frequency of quakes in the country, some homes in the area are in the older style of Japanese housing, making them relatively fragile.

The most serious damage was at the Aeon Mall shopping center in the town of Kashima, which was bustling with thousands of people when the quake struck in the late afternoon.

The company said some 3,000 customers were evacuated to a parking lot before the explosion happened in another part of the mall, where some people were still working. The mall’s second floor collapsed, trapping people.

As of early Thursday, six people were confirmed to have died at the mall site among the 11 people pulled out of the wreckage, according to Kumamoto authorities.

Family members of those still missing could be seen wandering helplessly near the wrecked mall, waiting for word, despite the sweltering weather.

In the Yatsushiro area, where a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, 10 people were rescued, but eight others died, and one remained missing, according to the Kumamoto prefectural government disaster team.

Nearly 23,000 homes were still without electricity and more than 10,000 people were staying in the roughly 400 shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning.

Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Firefighters gather at AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP)

Residents receive food supply following an earthquake in Hikawa, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

A person sits near a house damaged following an earthquake in Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

A firefighter carries a stretcher at AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP)

AEON Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred following a powerful earthquake, is seen in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kai Naito/Kyodo News via AP)