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Los Angeles FC soccer player Son Heung-min waves to fans during batting practice for the Los Angeles Dodgers before the Dodgers host the Cincinnati Reds in a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Los Angeles FC soccer player Son Heung-min talks with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott, above right, and other team members in the dugout before the Dodgers host the Cincinnati Reds in a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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It was a fantastic first pitch for Son Heung-min (33, LA FC), who became an "LA man".
Son Heung-min threw the first pitch in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on the 28th (Korea time). Son Heung-min, wearing a Dodgers jersey with No. 7 and a hat, put in a strike. Even though he stepped on the mound and threw it, he showed off his elaborate control. Blake Snell, a pitcher known as `Jihanpa', received the ball.
Son Heung-min, who chose LA FC as his new destination after 10 years of companionship with Tottenham, immediately emerged as the best star in LA. The Dodgers, who welcomed Son Heung-min's entry into LAFC through SNS, moved quickly. The Dodgers posted a message on its official SNS account on Aug. 27 (Korea time, 28) saying, `Sonny in Los Angeles. Watch Son Heung-min throw the first pitch at Dodger Stadium.
Son Heung-min, who threw the first pitch of his career, immediately went to practice. LAFC released a video of Son Heung-min's first pitch practice on its official SNS account. Son Heung-min in the video "Not that bad."It's a little far away, but it's easy to throw it gently. Isn't this good enough?" The Dodgers also shared these LAFC videos directly on the club's official account. Son Heung-min drew applause with his better-than-expected pitch.
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Los Angeles FC soccer player Son Heung-min talks with members of the Los Angeles Dodgers before the Dodgers host the Cincinnati Reds in a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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It was because of Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese superstar, that drew particular attention on this day. Ohtani is the best star in the Major League without needing an explanation. Otani, who also serves as a batter and pitcher, is considered the best player both as a batter and pitcher. Ohtani, who conquered Japan, joined the Los Angeles Angels in 2013, wrote many history, including the American League Rookie of the Year, MVP, and Asia's first home run king. After the end of the 2023 season, he moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers with an annual salary of $700 million for 10 years, the highest ever in professional sports. In the 2024 season, the first year of his career, he achieved 50-50 for the first time in Major League history, unanimously winning the National League MVP. led the team to a World Series championship.
It was a fateful meeting. Ohtani started the day as a starter. Originally, he was scheduled to start the game on the 27th, but Ohtani was hit in the thigh during the fourth inning of the game on the 21st, and the day of his appearance was delayed by a day. As a result, a lot of attention was paid to the meeting between Son Heung-min and Ohtani, and the two South Korea-Japan superstars.
It has not been more than three weeks since he entered, but Son Heung-min is changing the history of Major League Soccer (MLS). The United States 'LA Times' announced 'Most Important Recruitment TOP10' in MLS history. Superstars called Naero have been on the MLS stage, and Son Heung-min ranked fourth in the gap. First place was David Beckham, who moved from Real Madrid to the LA Galaxy and is now the owner of Inter Miami. Second place was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who also played for the LA Galaxy, and third place was Lionel Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami.
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Next was Son Heung-min. The fact that U.S. soccer legend Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, who played in the English Premier League, and Thierry Henry, who played for the New York Red Bulls, are below them shows Son Heung-min's status. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Gareth Bale, who performed on the U.S. stage, did not even make the ranking.
The LA Times evaluated that `Asian soccer star Son Heung-min's transfer to LA FC earlier this month is a large achievement that is not limited to the team.' From the MLS' perspective, it can be an opportunity to pioneer the Asian market in terms of marketing and sponsorship by recruiting the best players in Korean soccer history. In addition, the league's highest transfer fee of $26 million (about 36.3 billion won) is also considered to be sufficiently valuable.
The Son Heung-min effect is already in progress. LA FC posted an article titled 'Son Heung-min Effect' on the 26th, saying 'The effect after Son Heung-min joined is unprecedented' According to LA FC, Son Heung-min's recruitment effect is more than five times that of Gareth Bale in 2022. The figures are even more surprising, and after Son Heung-min joined, the number of club-related content views increased by 594% to 33.98 billion. Media coverage of the club also increased by 289%. Son Heung-min's uniform sold more than 1.5 million, three times more than when Messi moved to Inter Miami. During that period, Son Heung-min's uniforms were reportedly the most sold in all sports around the world.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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On the 27th, the MLS secretariat released each club's 's performance sheet' on the summer transfer market on its official website, and LAFC received the highest score of A+. There was also a big part of bringing Matthew Schwanier and Andrew Moran, but the reason was Son Heung-min. The secretariat said Son had already proved the value of his investment with goals, help, penalty inducement, and the sale of jerseys as if he had sold about a billion copies. I'm also getting used to the role of number 9 more and more, ' In fact, it's too much to want more than this. General manager John Sorrington said, 'A really good worker.
Son Heung-min is showing his influence right away even inside the stadium. Son Heung-min, who appeared splendidly in his debut match (2-2 draw) against the Chicago Fire on the 10th, assisted the winning goal in his first starting match (2-1 win) against the New England Revolution on the 17th. He also scored his debut goal in the match against FC Dallas on the 24th. In the 6th minute of the first half, he performed his signature 'Click Ceremony' in the United States with a fantastic free kick.
The U.S. was more excited by Son Heung-min's goal. The MLS said Son Heung-min quickly proved his skills in the MLS, adding that Son Heung-min scored his world-class debut goal in the MLS. "Son Heung-min's first three games are worth hanging at the Louvre," said defender Kosi Tapari. "He won a penalty kick, scored an assist, and scored a goal. I don't know what's going to happen next week. He's doing an amazing job, and his energy is really good."
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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Son Heung-min was selected as the MLS secretariat's team of migration for two consecutive weeks, from the match against New England to the match against Dallas. Sports Illustrated ranked Son Heung-min's debut goal as the second best goal in the 30th round.
Through the first pitch on this day, Son Heung-min seems to be establishing himself as a special star in LA. Son Heung-min will face San Diego FC at 11:30 a.m. on the 1st of next month at BMO Stadium in LA. It will make its debut in LA. Son Heung-min said on his SNS, `I'm really proud that I scored my first goal. I've been really welcomed since I arrived here and I really love the club and this city. Finally playing my first home game at BMO next week. I can't wait to meet you there, you all expressed your expectations.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
