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Son draws crucial penalty to help LAFC secure 2-2 draw in first appearance

Published: 11 Aug. 2025, 15:55

Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min greets fans during an MLS match against Chicago Fire at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois on Aug. 10. [AFP/YONHAP]

Son Heung-min made an immediate impact in his Los Angeles FC debut performance on Saturday, helping his team secure a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire.

The MLS shared an article on its official website detailing Son’s first appearance in the MLS and his postgame reaction, saying that the former Tottenham Hotspur captain “wasted no time making his presence felt.”

Son was subbed in during Saturday’s fixture and made some good efforts in the final third, including a well-timed run that allowed him to earn a penalty, which helped LAFC salvage a draw.

“I really enjoyed it,” Son said in a postgame interview. “I’ve never had this welcoming at an away game. It was nice to see that people are celebrating and people are enjoying the football. I love to be here.”

Saturday’s match at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, mostly saw Chicago Fire supporters, but the venue still had many fans wearing Korean national team, Spurs and Bayer 04 Leverkusen kits in support of Son.

Son, 33, played for Leverkusen before embarking on his decade-long stint with Tottenham. He played for Spurs from 2015 to 2025 during which he racked up 173 goals and 101 assists across 454 appearances and ended Spurs' 17-year trophy drought by winning the 2024-25 Europa League.

His high profile has already shown impact in the MLS, with the player ranking second in MLS shirt sales, with Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi in first place.

Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min, right, vies for the ball during an MLS match against Chicago Fire at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois on Aug. 10. [AFP/YONHAP]

LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo expects that Son’s presence will also be a valuable reinforcement in the club’s attack.

“There was a great atmosphere here and both teams tried to win the game,” Cherundolo said. “Taking our chances has been an area we’ve been struggling with all season, and bringing Sonny is going to help alleviate that.”

Son can now turn his attention toward a possible first start for LAFC in the club’s next fixture against New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Aug. 16.

Over in the Premier League, Korean fans will witness the upcoming 2025-26 season without Son for the first time in a decade, although the league still has Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan and Newcastle United's new signing Park Seung-soo.

Hwang is rumored to be leaving Wolves this summer in search of more playing time ahead of the 2026 World Cup, but no reports as of Monday suggest that the club has received offers from any other teams. Park, ahead of what will be his Premier League debut season, made his first appearance for the Newcastle squad during the Coupang Play Series — preseason exhibition friendlies involving European teams — last month.

The Son-less Premier League comes in the first year of exclusive Premier League broadcasting by streaming service Coupang Play — a deal Coupang spent around 70 billion won ($50 million) on.

Korea's age-old rivals Japan, meanwhile, have five players in the Premier League, with Brighton & Hove Albion's Kaoru Mitoma, Liverpool's Wataru Endo, Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada, Leeds United's Ao Tanaka and Spurs' Kota Takai expected to feature in the 2025-26 campaign.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]