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| Son Heung-min's San Jose heat map. Source = Tottenham X, Sofascore |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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I'm happy that the team scored a goal and won, but the performance wasn't very satisfactory.
Son Heung-min (33, LA FC) started as a front-line striker in the 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) away game against San Jose Earthquake at Levi's Stadium in San Jose on the 14th (Korea time) and scored the first goal in 52 seconds of the first half.
Son Heung-min, who scored consecutive goals in two straight A matches in September against the U.S. (2-0 wins) and Mexico (2-2 draws), continued his momentum by exploding his second goal in about three weeks after scoring his debut goal in an MLS match against Dallas (1-1 draw) on August 24.
Starting with Son Heung-min's first goal, LA FC firmly took the lead by scoring three goals in the 12th minute of the game. In the 9th and 12th minutes of the first half, Deeni Buanga scored consecutive goals.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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Is it because he won the game early on. LA FC have been consistent with near-parter performances for the rest of the time. Since giving Preston Jude a comeback goal in the 18th minute of the first half, he has faced several crisis situations.
On this day, the market share fell to 34:66 (%) and the number of shootings fell to 8:18. The number of corner kicks was 2 to 11 and the number of passes was 347 to 653. What distinguished the difference between the two teams was the determination of LA FC with Son Heung-min and Buanga two-top. LA FC scored four goals, doubling to 2.04 expected points. San Jose scored only two goals with an expected score of 1.31 and 18 shots.
In this situation, Son Heung-min was not seen well on the ground for 80 minutes until he was replaced by David Martinez Morales in the 35th minute of the second half. It becomes clear when you look at 'Hitmap'. Compared to the previous game, Son Heung-min's heat map on the day was more like a midfielder than a striker. In particular, he barely stayed in the opponent's penalty box. This means that the team often came down below the half-line and was involved in defense in a way that gave up the lead and was pushed.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| Son Heung-min, August 24 heat map against Dallas. Source = Sofa Score |
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In the game against Dallas in August, when he scored his MLS debut goal, he showed off his offense to the fullest. Son Heung-min played 90 minutes at the time, recording 69 cheek touches, a total of eight shots, and seven key passes. The team failed to keep Son Heung-min's first goal in the 6th minute of the first half and drew 1-1, but it was a match that confirmed that Son Heung-min quickly melted into the league.
LA FC led 4-1 in the 42nd minute after Son Heung-min was replaced in the 35th minute of the second half, with Buanga shooting his team's fourth goal and hat trick. LA FC allowed one goal in the 40th minute of the second half with Sergiy Palencia's own goal, but won 4-2 with three consecutive goals in the first half.
LA FC, which won in three games, rose to fifth place with 44 points (12 wins, 7 draws, 8 losses). Son Heung-min is aiming for his third goal in the away game of Real Salt Lake on the 18th.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
