*This content was translated by AI.
Los Angeles FC, where Son Heung-min (34), the captain of the South Korean national soccer team, is playing, has captured the hearts of U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) players. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez (Inter Miami) even pushed back the defending champion, who is holding out.
Sports media "Sports Illustrated" reported on the 1st (Korea Standard Time) the results of an annual survey of more than 500 athletes conducted by the MLS Player Association (MLSPA).
According to reports, LAFC topped the list with overwhelming support for the "club you want to play the most." San Diego FC came in second and Nashville SC came in third.
"Miami has been considered the most attractive option for free agents or players seeking to advance to MLS, but it was not ranked in the survey," Sports Illustrated said. "Instead, LAFC, which recruited Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris, has emerged as the best option."
The overwhelming influence of Son Heung-min, who joined in August, is behind LAFC's best popularity among fellow professional players.
The atmosphere at LAFC Stadium, which has become hot thanks to Son Heung-min's recent popularity, was also decisive. Sports Illustrated said, "LAFC has the best supporters in the world. It would have influenced the players' choices," he said.
LAFC is enjoying the Son Heung-min effect. The club once again praised Son's influence by filling three of the top 10 best moments of the 2025 season selected through its official channel with Son Heung-min's performance.
Son Heung-min's performance in the Vancouver Whitecaps and MLS Western Conference semifinals was selected as the second place in this year's moment. At that time, Son Heung-min scored a comeback goal in a desperate situation where his team fell behind 0-2 and scored a dramatic tie-breaking free-kick goal in extra time.
Even the MLS secretariat named it "one of the best scenes in the playoffs" and placed Son Heung-min second in the "2025 Season Recruitment of the Year" category.
In fifth place was followed by "Vuanga and Son Heung-min's Emergency," which means the perfect chemistry between ace Dennis Vuanga and Son Heung-min, and in sixth place, Son Heung-min's joining in LAFC was selected along with the phrase "Landing of Global Icon."
Son Heung-min, who entered the U.S. stage on August 6, dominated the league at the same time as he joined. Not long after LAFC general manager John Torrington introduced him as "a global icon and the most dynamic player in world football," he met expectations by reporting help and goals in his debut against Chicago. In particular, his debut goal against FC Dallas won the honor of being named MLS Goal of the Year.
The record is also overwhelming. Son Heung-min scored nine goals and three assists in 10 regular league games and 12 goals and four assists in 13 games, including the playoffs. LAFC, which had been stagnant until Son Heung-min joined, has changed dramatically. Since joining Son Heung-min, he has achieved nine wins, two losses and four draws, raising his ranking to third place in the Western Conference.
Synergy with colleagues also shone. After joining the team, Son Heung-min and Buanga combined for 18 consecutive goals, breaking the record for the most consecutive goals scored in MLS history. Local media such as "One Football" praised Son Heung-min, saying, "He didn't need time to prove himself to match the record transfer fee," adding, "What's more impressive than the number is that he has taken his colleagues' value to the next level."
It was also unrivaled in terms of box office hits. According to Torrington, Son Heung-min's uniforms were the most sold in the world in the week after the transfer. It has achieved the highest transfer fee value in MLS history of 26.5 million dollars (about 35 billion won).
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*This content was translated by AI.
