Son Heung-min, 'Effective Shoot 0', disappeared, '7 games with no field goals' and a sudden goal drought... He even gave up his spot as the "Great Crisis" striker

*This content was translated by AI.

Son Heung-min (34, Los Angeles FC) fell into a terrible field goal silence early in the season. His team won the opening four consecutive games to become the league's sole leader, but ace Son Heung-min's destructive power has dropped sharply in contrast to last season.

Son Heung-min started the home game against St. Louis City in the fourth round of the 2026 U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) at 11:30 a.m. on the 15th (Korea Standard Time), but was replaced in the 26th minute of the second half without scoring.

Son Heung-min, who played in seven games this season, including the North-China Caribbean Football Confederation (CONCACAF) Champions Cup, has only one goal on penalties, and has not scored a field goal in all games.

This is even more painful compared to last season's performance. Son Heung-min showed off his formidable firepower of nearly one goal per game with 12 goals and three assists in 13 games under former coach Steven Cherundolo last season. However, since the appointment of new coach Mark dos Santos, his scoring instincts have become dull as he has focused on playing the role of a playmaker.

In fact, even the position change is clear. Son Heung-min, who played as a two-top or central striker with Denny Buanga last season, played the role of an attacking midfielder against St. Louis.

Against St. Louis, LAFC put Buanga, Nathan Ordaz and David Martinez in front, and Son Heung-min was in the middle of the second line of the 4-2-3-1 formation. Marc Delgado and Mathieu Shuaniere defended the midfield, Eddie Segura, Nkosi Tapari, Ryan Porteous and Ryan Laposo were in charge of the four-back, and Hugo Lloris was in charge of the goal.

Son Heung-min showed light movement by poking an exquisite pass to Buanga at the start of the game, but Buanga's shot penetrated the air and swallowed the disappointment.

Since then, Son Heung-min has lured St. Louis' defense to the midfield, but he failed to penetrate the opponent's defense wall even when he shot twice to score directly. In the 0-0 situation in the first half, no significant path was found.

In the second half, coach dos Santos made a quick change. At the start of the second half, Martinez and Delgado were excluded, and Timothy Tillman and Tyler Boyd were added, and in the 26th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min, who had little presence, was called in and Amin Budri was put in.

Unfortunately, the match was decided right after Son Heung-min was absent. In the 30th minute of the second half, Schniere's right-footed mid-range shot cut the net, and in the 37th minute, Schniere scored a net goal with his right foot once again. In other words, Son Heung-min's frustrating flow, which struggled for 71 minutes, was resolved immediately after the replacement. St. Louis put in Jung Sang-bin immediately after the second loss, but the Korean Derby did not happen because Son Heung-min had already left.

Despite Son Heung-min's silence, the game ended with a 2-0 complete victory by LAFC. LAFC jumped to the league's sole lead with all four games since the opening of the MLS, but Son Heung-min will leave the field goal masugal as a task this season.

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*This content was translated by AI.