Son Heung-min is silent again in '9 games field goal 0', and 'full-time effective shooting 0' is a serious full season. LAFC's Victory March Ends

*This content was translated by AI.

Despite Son Heung-min (34, Los Angeles FC) returning to his original position as a central striker, he failed to break his silence in the end. His team LAFC also ended up drawing after a humiliating performance that did not record a single effective shot.

LAFC drew 0-0 away against Austin FC in the fifth round of the 2026 U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) at 9:45 a.m. on the 22nd (Korea Standard Time) at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. LAFC, which had recently won four consecutive games, had to be satisfied with adding one point on the day.

Ahead of the match, coach Mark dos Santos changed how to use Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min, who had been mainly used as an offensive midfielder behind the striker under coach Dos Santos, was finally forward-deployed as a central striker in a 4-3-3 formation. Dnie Vuanga and David Martinez played the two wings, while Mark Delgado, Timothy Tillman and Mathieu Shuaniere formed the midfield. Eddie Segura, Nkosi Tafari, Ryan Porteous and Serhiy Palencia were in charge of the four-back, while Hugo Lloris defended the goal.

In the first half, LAFC gave up the lead with a 3-6 ball possession rate to Austin. Son Heung-min, who played as a central striker, rarely got a chance near the box, and even two mid-range shots from outside the penalty box were blocked by the defender. LAFC entered halftime without recording a single effective shot throughout the first half.

In the second half, LAFC attempted to attack by increasing its ball possession, but Austin's defensive wall was solid. Son Heung-min struggled with isolation until the middle of the second half, with only 10 ball touches. As the frustrating trend continued, coach dos Santos tried to make changes in the 28th minute of the second half by excluding Tillman and Martinez and putting in Amin Boudry and Tyler Boyd.

In the 32nd minute of counterattack, Son Heung-min quickly pushed forward and sought an opportunity, but an error occurred in which Budri's pass was connected briefly. In the end, Son Heung-min was unable to overcome the opponent's defender's intensive checks and took the ball away, swallowing regret.

He didn't even follow the goal luck. 40 min Delgado's mid-range shot hit the crossbar.

In the 41st minute, Son Heung-min failed to take advantage of the decisive opportunity. He dug into the gate with a bold dribble breakthrough and had a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper, but his shot was blocked by the final defense's tackle.

There was no change in LAFC's tactics until the end of the second half. Still, Son Heung-min and Buanga were isolated, and only long ball conversion passes continued in the midfield. In the end, LAFC failed to score against Austin and ended up in a draw.

In the end, LAFC finished with a draw in the empty space of 0 effective shots until the final whistle. Son Heung-min has been mired in field goal silence for nine consecutive official games this season. So far, only one penalty goal against Real Spain (Honduras) has been scored.

Therefore, Son Heung-min's return to the front line in this game was nothing short of coach dos Santos' winning move. Son Heung-min, who played as a striker under former coach Steven Cheruntholo last season and showed off his formidable scoring ability of 12 goals and 3 assists in 13 games and nearly one goal per game, was evaluated as dull in sharpness as he focused on playmaking after taking office as the new coach.

Before the match against Austin, Son Heung-min was deployed to the second line and attempted seven shots in the second round of the round of 16 at the North-China Caribbean Football Confederation (CONCACAF) Champions Cup on the 18th, but all turned away from the goal. In the end, coach dos Santos re-established Son Heung-min instead of 22-year-old promising striker Nathan Ordaz.

However, he did not score the goal that he expected. Son Heung-min failed to score a field goal in nine games this season and continued his long silence.

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*This content was translated by AI.