LAFC coach said, "SON is really special, a piece of praise that we were looking for, as a humble superstar will develop American football."

Aug 21, 2025

"Son Heung-min is special."

It was a compliment from coach Steve Cherundolo toward Son Heung-min. Son made a quick soft landing on the American stage. In just two games, he emerged as the best player in the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS).

On the 19th (Korea time), the MLS Secretariat selected and announced the team for the migration of 'Match Day 29' on its official channel. There was also Son's name. Son Heung-min was selected as the team of migration along with Lionel Messi (Inter Miami). This is the first time Son Heung-min has been selected for Lee Ju's team.

Son was named in the striker category along with Marcus Ingvartsen (San Diego FC) and Hafaeu Navarro (Colorado Rappies) in the 3-4-3 formation. In the midfield, Pavel Buha (FC Cincinnati), Evander (Cincinnati), and Philippe Sinckernagel (Chicago Fire FC) were selected with Messi as the center. Jordi Alba (Inter Miami), Tim Lim (Shalott) and Dylan Nilis (New York Red Bulls) were selected for defense. The best goalkeeper was Christian Kahlina (Charlott FC).

The MLS secretariat said Son Heung-min, who recorded the highest transfer fee in the league, wasted no time on the first starting stage. led to victory over New England. He put dynamic pressure on the scene of the first goal and later recorded his help on the counterattack to seal the victory.

photo capture=MLS homepage

Two games were enough. Son Heung-min, who is aiming for the 'LA legend' in the 'Tottenham legend', recorded his first help since entering the U.S. Son Heung-min started in the 2025 MLS regular league away game against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on the 17th (Korea time) and played full time. This is the first time Son Heung-min has been on the starting list since his transfer to LA FC and played full-time.

Son Heung-min not only started the winning goal, but also helped the net goal. LA FC ended a three-game winless streak with a 2-0 win.

Son Heung-min, who was substituted in the second half of his debut match against Chicago Fire FC on the 10th and earned a penalty kick, played as a front-line striker in the 4-3-3 formation. Son Heung-min showed a different dimension in the variables of unfamiliar artificial turf and humid weather. In the 26th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min, who was disappointed when a strong left-footed shot went off the post, led LA FC's attack with a sharp pass and shot. Son Heung-min's performance was even more brilliant in the second half. After beating one opponent's defense in front of the arc in the fourth minute of the second half, he hit his left foot, but hit the net next to the net.

Starting with Son Heung-min, who gained momentum, LA FC eventually scored the winning goal. After succeeding in the interception with bold pressure in the fifth minute of the second half, Son Heung-min grabbed the ball. Son Heung-min was blocked by the opponent's defense while breaking through, and Delgado caught it and shook the New England net with a sharp shot. Martinez and Raphoso shot in front of the goalkeeper in the 22nd and 44th minutes of counterattacks.

Son Heung-min hit the ground in the 46th minute of the second half, missing a decisive chance. He jumped in a cross from the left and connected it with a header, but was blocked by the goalkeeper's super save. However, two minutes later, Son Heung-min scored an attack point. Son Heung-min dug in front of the arc and stabbed a pass to Mathieu Choniere, who was jumping to the left. Chonière's shot led to a goal and sealed the game.

Son Heung-min made 50 touches on the day and recorded one assist. Made a Big Chance 5 times, dribbling success rate was 100% (4/4). Son Heung-min, who received an 8.5 rating, the highest in the team, from Footmob, was named the MLS's official player of the game after the game. Son Heung-min said, `I'm happy to win the away game away from home. I'll prepare well and enjoy it more."

After the game, Cherundolo said, `There are only a few players in the world who have the same intelligence and experience as Son Heung-min. Tactically and physically, everything is well combined. The basics are solid as well." "I'm really looking forward to the future with him. It's really nice to be able to celebrate victory. This is a league that is not easy to win on the road." "Son Heung-min is a player who brings smiles every day during training. This is very important in my work. I try to do the same. He is a good communicator who motivates all players with a happy heart. It's a very important thing. What a great recruit for us."

The colleagues were all complimentary, too. Delgado said "Son Heung-min brought great vitality to the team. He is very active and encourages the players." "Playing with Son makes the game a lot easier," said Choniere. He gives a thumbs up, "He runs hard for victory." LA FC's next game is away to Dallas on the 24th.

Cherundulo's praise continued. In an interview with the United States 'Pulse Sports'Son Heung-min is really special. It has the intelligence, experience, technical and physical abilities to combine teams. The more he plays, the better his teammates will understand "He maintains the fluidity of the game. I want to do an excellent sprint and always make multiple options. His joining is bringing everything together. He praised the missing piece we were looking for.

Experts are no different. Appearing on Apple TV's wrap-up show, Kliestan, a former U.S. national team member, said, "Son Heung-min is not selfish and wants to help the team in the game. Son Heung-min does not want to be a superstar in the spotlight. Son Heung-min wants people to be happy. Son plays appropriately and demonstrates leadership at every moment. "(Son Heung-min is a superstar who has leadership and is not selfish)," he said. Bradley Wright-Phillips also made an immediate impact on the team, even though he had just come to LA FC after playing a pre-season schedule for Tottenham. I'm looking forward to how Son Heung-min will perform in the next few games.

The U.S. magazine Sports Illustrated named Son Heung-min the 24th thin winger in the world. The media praised Son Heung-min saying, `Even though his prime has passed, he can still perform well for the club and the national team.' `He will threaten defense with calm finishing ability and excellent mental strength, and develop LA FC and U.S. soccer based on his experience playing in the world's best league.'

Son Heung-min's effect is remarkable. Since its debut, it has boasted amazing marketing power. Los Angeles FC co-chairman and general manager John Sorrington said in an interview with Britain 'Talk Sports"Son Heung-min's uniforms were the most sold in all sports in the world during the week. Since signing with LA FC, it has sold more uniforms than any other sports player in the worldIt was sold more than soccer players such as Lionel Messi (Miami) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Alnasr) as well as other sports players such as LeBron James (LA Lakers) and Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)," he added.

The price of tickets for LAFC has also increased significantly. On the 31st, Son Heung-min's home debut, the ticket price for the match against San Diego ranges from $300 to $1,500 (about 2.08 million won), according to Talk Sports. Since then, it has soared from $500 (about 700,000 won) to $5,265 (about 7.34 million won). `The success of recruiting Son will be judged not by commercial success but by trophies,' Sorrington said. `We expect both team performance and commercial success.'

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.