'Record-breaking silence': Son Heung-min, 9 games without a goal → LAFC coach Dos Santos flies off the handle, criticizing "people who don't even know soccer..."

*This content was translated by AI.

The situation is becoming increasingly hopeless. Marc Dos Santos, LAFC's head coach, admitted his own tactical incompetence but responded sharply to critical external scrutiny.

On the 3rd (Korean time), LAFC drew 2-2 in an away match against San Diego FC at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California, USA, in the 2026 MLS Round 11.

It was only a relief that they avoided defeat. Although they managed to salvage the game with Son Heung-min's assist and Holmgren's equalizing goal after trailing 0-2, the match content remained frustrating throughout.

The coaching staff also struggled to find their footing. According to an official LAFC video, Coach Dos Santos admitted his response was too late, stating, "If I could go back in time, I would have made substitutions five or ten minutes earlier."

He also criticized the team's performance, saying, "The first half was passive; we couldn't find players between the lines. When we had possession, the distance between players was too great, and we relied too much on long balls." He added, "LAFC was not threatening at all against San Diego."

Regarding the second goal conceded, he strongly criticized, "It was truly terrible and should not have been given up. We lost track of the player behind us on a single long pass and attempted an overlap before securely possessing the ball, resulting in a turnover."

On the continued lack of scoring from the attacking line, he revealed the limits of his leadership, saying, "We need to find an attacking approach. We don't have time for training, so we can only show mistakes via video."

Dissatisfaction with the MLS has long reached its peak. After the previous match, Coach Dos Santos openly criticized the MLS schedule, stating, "It seems like they are trying to prevent LAFC from winning the championship."

Even after the match against San Diego, he said, "LAFC wants to give 100% in every game. I have already expressed my thoughts on the schedule, so I will not mention it further," while adding, "The draw against San Diego was due to the players' mental strength. It is very encouraging."

On this day, Son Heung-min assisted a goal by Bouanga in the 37th minute of the second half, recording his eighth assist of the season and taking sole possession of first place in the assists category. However, his goal-scoring streak remains silent for nine consecutive league matches. This is the result of Son Heung-min, who scored 12 goals in 13 games last season, being completely confined to a supporting role under Coach Dos Santos. Bouanga, who scored 26 goals last season, also managed only five goals in 11 games, halving his destructive power.

Nevertheless, Coach Dos Santos engaged in a battle of wills against the critical voices from outside. He responded somewhat irritably, saying, "People sitting on their sofas drinking beer and watching the game might ask why we don't always field our best lineup, but if they haven't tried it themselves, they don't know how difficult it is."

Meanwhile, LAFC is set to play an away match in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals against Toluca (Mexico) on the 7th. In the first leg, LAFC defeated Toluca 2-1 at home. Coach Dos Santos added, "Tomorrow, we can go to the pool and restaurants and forget about soccer for a day. We will return to the training ground the next day with renewed spirit and prepare for what will be the most important match of the year."

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*This content was translated by AI.