Six LAFC players are with their national teams during FIFA's expanded September-October international window, according to an update from LAFC.com. The Black & Gold are off from the MLS regular season until they host the Vancouver Whitecaps at BMO Stadium on Oct. 10.
LAFC.com says this year's break combines FIFA's usual September and October windows into one 16-day stretch. The longer break gives national teams more time together after the FIFA World Cup, which ended in July. The six players are Denis Bouanga (Gabon), Son Heung-Min (South Korea), Mathieu Choinière (Canada), Jacob Shaffelburg (Canada), Jude Terry (USA U-19) and Leo Walta (Finland).
Gabon just missed qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and has now started AFCON qualifying. The Africa Cup of Nations tournament is set for summer 2027. In qualifying, 48 teams are split into 12 groups, and 24 of them advance to the tournament. Gabon is in Group A with Morocco, Niger and Lesotho.
Gabon opened qualifying on Friday, Sept. 25, with a 2-0 loss to Morocco in Rabat. Morocco is the defending AFCON champion and reached the World Cup quarterfinals. Bouanga started, played all 90 minutes and led all players with three shots on target. Group play picks up again in November. According to the club, Bouanga recently became LAFC's all-time leading scorer in MLS regular-season play and has 14 goals and eight assists this season.
South Korea went out in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup and has since brought its squad together for training and a series of friendlies in South Korea. LAFC.com says the goals are to try out tactics, build squad depth and work young players into the group. Son Heung-Min, an LAFC forward, is listed by the club as the MLS assist leader.
The part of the LAFC.com update used for this story doesn't include details on what Choinière, Shaffelburg, Terry or Walta are doing with their teams.