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'Son Heung-min looked like a 25-year-old. I'm willing to watch MLS just to see him. It's really beautiful.' Son Heung-min is still as fast as lightning. He is 33 years old.'
Tottenham fans' reaction is explosive. England's 'TBR' Tottenham fans admired Son Heung-min's speed in his LA FC debut match on the 10th (Korea time). "He didn't show that ability very often at Tottenham last season. There is a qualitative difference between MLS and the Premier League, but Son still showed amazing speed. This is likely to cause chaos in the new league, it reported.
Son Heung-min (33, LA FC) made his historic debut in the United States following the German Bundesliga (Hamburg, Leverkusen) and the English Premier League (EPL, Tottenham). He stepped on the ground in the 16th minute of the second half in the 28th round of the 2025 U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) against Chicago Fire FC at Sitgig Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.
There was no goal, but it was a perfect performance. He won a penalty in the 32nd minute of the second half when his team was trailing 1-2, leading to an equalizer. LA FC drew 2-2 with Chicago. Sports media 'ESPN' evaluated that Son Heung-min immediately influenced LA FC and made a strong impression from his first appearance.
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It also decorated the main screen of the MLS website. MLS is 'Strong Debut! Son Heung-min immediately influenced LAFC, declaring 'The Son Heung-min era has officially begun in MLS.'"
And just three days after joining LA FC, Asia's top soccer star made his debut in front of a packed audience in Chicago. In the blink of an eye, he headed to Chicago, the city of the wind, and was allowed to play a day before the game and replaced in the 16th minute of the second half of the day' Son Heung-min stressed that when his team was trailing 1-2, he did not waste time and played in the game, showing his presence.
MLS HomePay also introduced its performance by saying, "'It showed its unique breakthrough power and won a penalty from Chicago defender Carlos Terran to help fellow Denis Buanga equalize with a penalty kick.'" Most of the stadium was filled with Chicago home spectators, but the LA FC away cheering squad cheered tremendously when Son Heung-min appeared. Fans in the South Korean national team, Tottenham and Leverkusen jerseys welcomed Son, who brought a new wind to MLS, and some shed tears at historic moments,' he added.
Son Heung-min broke up with Tottenham of the EPL on the 7th and built his nest at LA FC. LA FC said that Son Heung-min will be able to play immediately if he gets a U.S. P-1 visa and an International Transition Certificate (ITC), but his debut against Chicago was unclear.
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His visa came out faster than expected, and he will play three days after entering LA FC. Son Heung-min broke the MLS record transfer fee. His ransom was $26 million (about 36 billion won), exceeding the $22 million (about 30.5 billion won) that Atlanta United spent to recruit striker Emmanuel Lateas last winter.
Son Heung-min, who sat on the bench in the first half, did not play, but he was actually the main character. The local camera caught Son Heung-min's face all the time. The broadcast team also kept mentioning Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min, who directly engraved the level of MLS with his eyes, warmed up in earnest from the end of the first half and prepared to play. When Son Heung-min changed his uniform to play, local fans began to cheer.
Son's class was unparalleled. Son Heung-min, who made his first touch with an interception, fired his first shot in the 22nd minute of the second half. He got a ground ball cross from the right and attempted a left footed shot from the front of the arc. The ball headed to the net but was weak. In the 24th minute, he made a sharp move in the counterattack situation.
Son Heung-min's movement became busy as he was dragged 1-2. In the 28th minute of counterattack, the cutback came up from the right. Son Heung-min created a shooting opportunity with a great off-the-ball movement. He jumped in and tried a backheel kick, but he came out after hitting the defense.
Soon after, the mood changed. Son Heung-min, who received a through pass in the counterattack, took the opportunity to face the goalkeeper with explosive speed. As soon as he tried to shoot, he tripped over the opponent's defender Terran.
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Son Heung-min raised his hands to protest, but the referee did not declare a penalty. VAR referee turned it around. An on-field review was conducted, and the referee's choice was a penalty. Son drew cheers from his fans. In the process, Terran and nerve conduction were conducted. Buanga calmly scored a penalty in the 36th minute of the second half.
Son Heung-min created a chance to score the winning goal by breaking down the back space with a fantastic movement in extra time, but the shot was blocked by the opponent's defense's tackle. Although there was no offensive point, it was a perfect debut that showed class. In addition to inducing penalties, Son recorded three shots, one shot on goal, six pass successes, one tackle, and three ground-contention successes. Footmob gave a rating of 6.6.
Son Heung-min responded to the post-match penalty situation "It was a great pass, and there was definitely physical contact. It was a clear penalty. There is no room for doubt."I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get three points, but I think everyone put in a lot of effort. I'm happy to make my debut, and I hope the goal will come out soon."
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LA FC allowed a header goal to Terran, who dedicated a penalty to Son Heung-min in a set piece in the 11th minute of the first half. In the 19th minute of the first half, Ryan Hollingshead brought the game to square one with a header. Chicago took the lead again with Jonathan Bamba's goal in the 25th minute of the second half, but Son Heung-min missed three points.
LA FC will play an away game against the New England Revolution at 8:30 a.m. on the 17th at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Son Heung-min played for about half an hour, getting ready for next week's game"Please watch how I improve with my colleagues through training. Please wait to see if I can start next week's game and show a bigger performance."
On the other hand, Tottenham is shaking, losing 0-4 to Bayern Munich (Germany) in a pre-season friendly match on the 8th after Son Heung-min left. To make matters worse, James Maddison was ruled a de facto 'out' in the new season due to surgery caused by a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
