Son Heung-Min: LAFC star shines for South Korea against USMNT | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

Even with Labor Day in the rearview mirror, Son Heung-Min’s red-hot North American summer rolls on.

Son Heung-Min

Forward · Los Angeles Football Club

The LAFC superstar tormented the US men’s national team for South Korea on Saturday afternoon, opening the scoring with a fine solo strike before notching an assist on Lee Dong-Gyeong’s goal as the Tigers of Asia cruised to a 2-0 win in the international friendly at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.

Working in a free role alone up top for the Taegeuk Warriors, Son accelerated into acres of space behind US center backs Tristan Blackmon and Tim Ream to latch onto an angled pass from Lee Jae-Sung and finish past Matt Freese in the 18th minute. It’s the icon’s 52nd career international goal, and takes him one step closer to the program record of 58 held by Cha Bum-Kun.

Earlier in the week, USMNT holding midfielder Tyler Adams spoke of the importance of tracking Son’s movements. But the Yanks did not heed that early lesson, letting him drift into a dangerous pocket between the lines just before halftime and link up with Jae-Sung yet again, playing a quick one-two that carved open the hosts and led to a clever backheeled finish by Lee Dong-Gyeong after Freese bowled over Son.

US head coach Mauricio Pochettino will be all too familiar with Son’s excellence, having managed him for several years at Tottenham Hotspur, where the Korean star blossomed into one of the greatest attackers of his generation before joining LAFC in a blockbuster August move.

LAFC's summer signing put in a 63-minute shift before being subbed off for Oh Hyeon-Gyu.