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| Photo =Son Heung-min SNS capture |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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The strongest duo in the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) who stunned Los Angeles appeared. The partner's record is extraordinary.
The LA Daily News reported on the 18th (Korea time) 'Son Heung-min scored a hat trick, and Dennis Buanga set a new record with an away win."' reported.
LA FC won 4-1 in the 19th round of the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) in the 2025 season against Real Salt Lake at America First Field in Sandy, Utah on the 18th. It was Son Heung-min's best performance since his MLS debut. He led the team to victory by scoring a hat trick for the first time in two years since September 2023. Son Heung-min scored the first goal in the third minute of the first half, and Son Heung-min, who had already shown signs, completed the hat trick by adding points in the 17th minute of the first half and the 37th minute of the second half, respectively.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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The teammate who led the team's attack with Son Heung-min and helped complete the hat trick was Dennis Buanga. Buanga helped Son Heung-min score the last point of the match. In the 37th minute of the second half, Buanga had a good chance in the counterattack. It was a chance to finish directly as a striker. But Buanga focused on Son Heung-min running in. He calmly delivered the ball between the goalkeeper and the defense, and Son Heung-min enjoyed the joy of his first MLS hat trick by pushing it in.
Buanga is considered one of the best MLS scorers this season. With 19 goals in the league, he is the third-leading scorer after San Sarge (21 goals) and Lionel Messi (20 goals). He is showing a pace that can aim for the top scorer this season. In particular, joining Son Heung-min was crucial. Since the formation of the Heungbu duo, they have spread their wings. In the six games Son Heung-min played, Buanga scored as many as six goals. In the previous league match against San Jose EarthQuake, Buanga scored a hat trick, and in this Salt Lake match, Son Heung-min completed a hat trick, and the two players combined for two consecutive games. The MLS Secretariat also recognized Buanga as Son's partner, saying, `Buanga has established himself as Son's strong running mate in LA.'
Son Heung-min was surprised to score a hat trick for the first time in MLS. I'm very happy. Thank you to all LAFC. Thank you to Tillman, who helped him score first, Hollingshead, who helped him score second, and Vuanga, who scored third. The defenders also did their part. In conclusion, it's very good to get three points,' he said, praising Buanga. The Vuanga also `breathes well and complements each other"Son Heung-min opens up a lot of possibilities in space and in many ways for the team," he replied.
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| Photo =Son Heung-min SNS capture |
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Buanga also wrote a milestone. Buanga, who scored a netting goal, scored a career-high 94 goals for LAFC, along with Mexican national Carlos Vela as the most goals scored in the team's history. LA Daily News reports 'LAFC's new one-two punch leaves opponents puzzled and confused. Son Heung-min scored a hat trick, and Buanga became the club's all-time leading scorer.
With just one more goal, Buanga will make his name in LAFC and MLS history at the same time. He became the first player in MLS to score double-digit points for three consecutive seasons, becoming the lone top scorer in LA FC history. Along with Son Heung-min, the strongest duo in MLS history is shaking the United States.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
