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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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Son Heung-min, who finished adapting to the U.S., proved the value of a world-class striker with a hat trick.
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 (Korea time).
Son Heung-min has been included in the starting list for five consecutive games. Son Heung-min was the front-line striker in the 4-3-3 formation. For Son Heung-min, Dennis Vuanga and Timothy Tillman, who were on the left and right, built a three-top. Eddie Segura, Maci Delgado and Mathieu Coyneier were in the midfield. The defense consisted of Ryan Hollingshead, Nkosi Tafari, Larian Potterus and Sergi Palencia. The goal was defended by Hugo Lloris.
Salt Lake fought back in a 4-4-2 formation. Lewan Cruz, Viktor Olatunzi, and Xavier Gozo, Emeka Enelli, Fryan Ojeda and Diego Luna were located at the front line. The Four Bag was built by DeAndre Yedlin, Justen Glad, Bryan Vera and Alexandros Katranis. The goalkeeper's gloves were worn by Raphael Cabral.
Son Heung-min has emerged as the best star in MLS since joining LA FC. Everyone paid attention to entering MLS, and Son Heung-min's uniform sold like hot cakes, recording the highest sales ever. It was the same in the game. From the first game of LA FC as a substitute, Son Heung-min has been on the rise. Starting with his first score against Dallas FC, he also scored his second goal in the league against San Jose just before. He aimed to score in two consecutive league games and score in four official games. Son Heung-min showed off his good form by scoring consecutive goals against the U.S. and Mexico in the A-match in September. Immediately, he also scored against San Jose EarthQuake in the league to continue his momentum. If he also scored against Salt Lake, he could complete his fourth consecutive game.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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I met my expectations immediately. Son Heung-min scored in the third minute of the first half. In the third minute of the first half, Son Heung-min penetrated into the back space of the defense and received the pass, and immediately drove the ball forward and shook the net by finishing neatly on the left side of the box. He scored in two consecutive league games and scored in four official games. Following the previous match against San Jose, he once again scored in the early hours to help LA FC easily solve the game.
Salt Lake, who allowed a run, fought back. In the 15th minute of the first half, Ozeda hit the ball from a free kick to his head, but was blocked by a save.
Son Heung-min widened the gap by scoring an additional goal at an early point. In the 17th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min received a pass from the front of the box and finished with a direct mid-range shot. The ball headed straight to the corner of the goal and shook the net. Son Heung-min's unique mid-range shot during his time at Tottenham shone against Salt Lake.
Son Heung-min's toes, which raised his scoring sense, continued to threaten Salt Lake. In the 26th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min received Buanga's cutback pass and attempted a sharp shot from the center of the box, but was blocked by the defense's hand-to-hand offensive.
If Son Heung-min was present in the attack, Lloris' good defense stood out in defense. In the 45th minute of the first half, Ojeda attempted a sharp mid-range shot from the front of the box, but Lloris fired himself and saved it. The first half ended with a 2-0 lead by LA FC.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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Early in the second half, LA FC allowed a chance to chase. In the 10th minute of the second half, Olatunji induced an opponent's foul during the competition in the box and a penalty was declared. However, Cruz's shot as a kicker hit the post and headed straight to Lloris' leg. Lloris caught it and did not allow a run.
Son Heung-min's shot was unfortunately blocked. In the 12th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min did not hesitate when a shot opportunity came from the front of the box. The shot that flew sharply hit the post and came out. In the 18th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min also received a pass in a counterattack and penetrated to the right side of the box. He immediately connected with a shot, but was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Salt Lake caught up with one goal. After Luna's pass from the side in the 31st minute of the second half, the ball bounced off the defense. Gozo, who did not miss it, finished with a fantastic bicycle kick and shook the LA FC net.
Son Heung-min's scoring shot brought back the atmosphere. In the 37th minute of the second half, Buanga gave Son Heung-min a perfect pass in the box, and Son Heung-min finished it and shook the net to complete the hat trick. Son Heung-min's hat trick is the first in about two years since his hat trick against Burnley in the 2023-2024 season. Son Heung-min continued his excellent goal scoring ability in this game with his first hat trick since entering the U.S. After completing the hat trick, Son Heung-min was replaced in the 41st minute of the second half and ended the game by entering the bench with applause from fans. Fans watch Son Heung-min's hat-trick scene and "dominate MLS" on social media," he praised. Salt Lake fans also left unpraised compliments, saying, `What a terrible player.'
LA FC scored without Son Heung-min. The main character was 'Heungbu Duo' Buanga. In the 43rd minute of the second half, Buanga directly induced the opponent's mistake and launched a counterattack, and he scored.
In the end, the game ended with a 4-1 victory for LA FC.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
