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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| EPAYonhap News |
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Is it Son Heung Min's effect. The head coach of the Japanese national team checked the skills of players who are playing in the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS).
The U.S. has recently made headlines with the emergence of new MLS star Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min, who moved to LA from the English Premier League (EPL), wrapped up his trip with Tottenham this summer and wore an LA FC uniform. The top Asian soccer star's trip to the U.S. drew keen attention. The enthusiasm of Korean cheering covered LA. Fans' steps to see Son Heung-min are heading to the stadiums where LA FC will play.
Expectations are high in the U.S. as well. Expectations are already on their way to reality. Los Angeles FC Chairman John Thorrington said, `Son Heung-min's uniform is the best-selling sports uniform in the world,' adding, `Yes' to the question of whether he sells more than Messi. Since joining LA FC, he has sold more uniforms than any other player in the world.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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In addition to its popularity, its performance is also a hot topic. Son Heung-min induced a penalty in his debut game, helped in his second game, and scored his debut goal in the third game. In the previous match against San Jose, he also scored in less than a minute, drawing attention. His good performance continued in the Korean national team. He showed off his good form, scoring against both the U.S. and Mexico. Along with his performance, interest in MLS is also growing.
Under these circumstances, coach Hajime Moriyasu's sudden visit to MLS, who leads the Japanese national team, has attracted attention. Japan's Soccer Digest Web reported on the 16th that `Moriyasu inspected a 29-year-old Japanese player who had no experience in the national team.'
Soccer Digest Web said 'Moriyasu returned to Japan after visiting the base camp candidate site for the 2026 World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. after the A-match in September. He went through Vancouver in the process. The reason was to inspect the Japanese goalkeeper. 'There is a possibility of a surprise ride.' "There are already several Japanese players in MLS, and I think there will be more in the future," Moriyasu said. I hope I can observe it well because it might be a target to be on board" he said.
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The player Moriyasu watched was girlkeeper Yohei Takaoka from the Vancouver Whitecaps. Takaoka moved to Vancouver in 2023 and has been active in MLS. He was already a member of Yokohama in the J-League, but he had no chance to join the national team. However, it is impossible to rule out the possibility that Moriyasu will visit Vancouver and watch his performance, and receive an opportunity to board the Japanese national team in the future.
In particular, Moriyasu's choice, which has placed importance on the top five European leagues, is bound to attract more attention. Moriyasu has ruled out Furuhashi several times in consideration of differences in league levels when Kyogo Furuhashi was active at Celtic. Attention is focusing on whether there will be a new player who will experience his first boarding of the Japanese national team in MLS, which is receiving great attention after Son Heung-min's performance.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
