'We’re going for everything' - A summer of shrewd recruitment, designed to surround Son Heung-Min with complementary pieces, has LAFC poised for a deep MLS Cup run

Just 10 games in, things were looking bleak in Los Angeles. The front office, usually so shrewd, had pieced together an unbalanced team. Olivier Giroud, a France legend and World Cup winning striker, was an expensive misfit up front. The rest of the side wasn’t quite firing around him. The Black and Gold, perennial cup contenders, sat in eighth. 

Something had to change. And it did over the ensuing months. Giroud departed. The groundwork was laid for Son, who was ready to leave Spurs after a decade in North London. But things needed rounding out, too. Los Angeles had a main man in attack to pair with Denis Bouanga.

But they also needed help in midfield, solidity in the back, and, ideally, an extra creative presence in the final third. In Porteous, Choiniere and Moran, they found all three - at minimal cost.

“When you are looking at how things come together in complementary pieces and what have you, then you look on the field and you say, ‘OK, how will Sonny be utilized, and what pieces do we need around him to make the team better?’” LAFC GM John Thorrington said.

It was a precarious spot for Cherundolo. The manager had announced in April that he planned to leave the club at the end of the campaign and return to Germany. A few eyebrows were raised when LAFC agreed to retain him for the entire season. In effect, they had a lame duck coach - and one that wasn’t getting the requisite results out of the team. 

Some clubs would have stayed in stasis. Others would have removed the manager. LAFC, meanwhile, decided to go big. 

“It's really important. If you asked me, if I had a choice, will we have a finished roster in the beginning of season or by the first of October? I would prefer the first of March,” Cherundolo said. “But better late than never, and finishing the season strong in our league is obviously more beneficial than starting strong.” 

Communication with the front office was vital in the effort, Cherundolo said. At one point, he found himself short on options, dealing with multiple competitions, and pushing his players to the limit. These days, things are different. 

“John and I talk all the time. He’s more than welcome to give me problems as far as choosing the roster and lineups every week. I like those problems,” Cherundolo said.

Porteous had his choices. The Scottish centerback - who had 13 caps for his national team - was frozen out at Championship side Watford. A loan to Preston yielded some success, but he was told by the club that he could leave if the right offer came in. And with two full seasons still left on his contract, there were options. 

“I had offers elsewhere in the Championship, offers to go back to Scotland, other places abroad,” Porteous said. 

But a few messages with other players in America, MLS and the direction of the league convinced him to make a move to the West Coast. The front office’s pitch - that he would be a crucial part of a team looking to make a run - sealed the deal. 

“As soon as I had the conversations with the manager, the sporting directors, it was a no-brainer, because everything kind of aligned as in terms of the player they wanted to bring in, and the environment and the atmosphere that I wanted to join,” Porteous said. 

He could sense the vibe as soon as he walked into the locker room. There was a real intent here. Change was already afoot. Son’s arrival - announced three days after Porteous’ signature - was no secret by that point. 

“I was coming into a team that maybe had a stumbling block in the mid part of the season and just needed a little pick me up in terms of the recruitment,” Porteous said. "I think the people that they've brought in have added that energy.” 

“Energetic” is one way of describing the Scotsman. He immediately established himself as a hard-nosed presence at the back - a leader who can play across multiple different positions, and also add a much-needed bite. It’s been there for as long as he can remember, Porteous admitted. He cut his teeth in the lower leagues of Scottish football, and then grew into the game in the physicality of the English Championship. 

“If anybody met me on the field, they wouldn't like me. But I'd like to think anybody that knows me off it as a completely different person,” Porteous admitted. “But it’s always been that way.” 

Cherundolo has repeatedly said that his aggression is key. Porteous has established himself as LAFC’s preferred right center back - and played every minute since his first start. And with Aaron Long out long term with an Achilles injury, his presence is vital.

Choiniere had been in and out of MLS before. The Canadian came through the Montreal academy system, and was a two-time All-Star before being sold to Swiss Super League side Grasshopper in August 2024. His time in Switzerland was mixed. He made 17 appearances for the club, but was looking for a way out.

“I needed something else. I wanted a new challenge,” he told GOAL. “I was training well, but wasn’t getting the playing time I wanted in the system that I wanted.” 

LAFC came calling. Porteous added bite. But they also needed some control. Choiniere fit the bill perfectly. Thorrington’s pitch was simple. He needed someone to hold things down in midfield - cover the spaces, move the ball, put out fires. LAFC had the attacking talent. Choiniere was going to be the connective tissue in the middle. 

“It's been amazing since I arrived. The club made me feel like I'm home, and since the first day, I'm feeling like I'm in the right place,” he said. 

And he has returned the faith put in him by the front office when they invested on a short-term loan. He established himself as a starter in the latter days of the season, and now figures to be a part of Cherundolo’s best XI, sitting in a midfield three and pulling the strings. 

“I’m waking up every morning and I want to go to training. You go into the locker room, everybody’s laughing, everybody’s talking to everyone. It could be about anything,” Choiniere said.

It was MLS Decision Day, and LAFC were losing to Colorado Rapids. There was nothing really to play for, at that point. They had guaranteed at least one home playoff game, and unless they battered Colorado, Vancouver were always going to be too far out of reach in second place. 

But a result was necessary - if only as a pre-playoff tune up.. And 89 minutes in, it all looked like disaster. Son gave LAFC the lead, but Colorado struck back twice. A Darren Yapi goal in the 87th minute looked certain to be a winner. 

Enter Andy Moran, the Brighton loanee who had yet to fully make a mark in Los Angeles. The maestro evaded two defenders and cut back for Jeremy Ebobisse. His shot caromed off the woodwork, but Moran reacted first, and fired home to secure a 2-2 draw, save face - and show, exactly, what he might be able to offer in Los Angeles. 

His arrival was perhaps the least expected of the three. Moran is an odd fit for LAFC, an attacking midfielder who had shown flashes in the Championship, but not necessarily the kind of player that screams MLS ready. But in that moment, he proved his worth. 

And if the other two are obvious starters, Moran could be the equally effective third addition. There are times when LAFC are going to have to create with the ball, find gaps and exploit clever angles. Moran is the kind of player to make it happen. 

“I’ve always considered myself more of a midfielder," Moran said, "but the role is you kind of pop up everywhere. If I don't classify it as one position, then it's, it must be so hard for the opposition to pick up where the space is." 

His signing was a surprise - even for Moran himself. A Brighton product who had spent time at two Championship clubs, a future in England seemed inevitable. But the front office said they needed a final piece to round out the side. Moran could be their man. 

“It was something that I didn't have planned," Moran said. "But when I heard about the interest, and they set out the plan for me and how it would look. It was just such an exciting opportunity, and it was something that was hard to say no to - especially being at the very business end of the season."

On Sept. 17, Son scored his first hat-trick in LAFC colors. It had been a dominant performance from the Korean, the type that the club hopes he will provide for many years to come. His post-game media duties started on the pitch, and the obligatory question about his performance came. 

He went about thanking pretty much every team member before acknowledging that he, himself, might have had a pretty good night.

After that, he asserted that he is enjoying “every single second, every single moment, and every single training session, and every single game.”

 It was a moment that encapsulated where LAFC are at this point. Son is their main man, the undisputed star who will have to score some vital goals in the weeks to come. The same, of course, can be said for Bouanga, who has been equally effective up front. But outside of those two virtuosic presences is a remarkably solid foundation. 

Son might have been the marquee signing, but a summer of shrewd recruitment could be what gives the perennial Cup contenders the platform to achieve something special. 

“We’re going for everything,” Choiniere said.