'Why on earth?' Son Heung-min deployed as a midfielder → '0 goals in 10 matches': Why is he so out of form? The coach offers only excuses, saying it's "the most difficult moment in history"

*This content was translated by AI.

'Once again, Son Heung-min (34) was deployed for a full 90 minutes, yet the team suffered a record-breaking defeat. Despite the continued slump, LAFC coach Marc Dos Santos blames the crushing schedule for the loss.

'LAFC collapsed miserably 1-4 against Houston Dynamo in their 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) Round 12 home match held at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, USA, at 10 a.m. (Korean time) on the 11th.

'There is no end in sight to the decline. Following a 0-4 away defeat against Toluca in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on the 7th, this marks a second consecutive loss with four goals conceded.

'Coach Dos Santos seemed to be on a winning streak after winning all of his first five matches since taking charge of LAFC this season, but in the team's recent nine official matches, they managed only two wins, three draws, and four losses.

'Dos Santos ultimately expressed deep disappointment. According to LAFC's official video, after the match he said, "LAFC dominated possession. However, we lacked the physical strength to handle Houston's transition situations every time we lost the ball. Just two or three days after returning from Mexico, we got a similar result again. This is the price the LAFC players have been paying since the start of the season."

'Coach Dos Santos, who has repeatedly criticized the MLS for its grueling schedule, said this time, "We train again tomorrow, fly on Tuesday, and play on Wednesday. The last time we had normal training was mid-February. Since then, it has been a repetition of recovery training, and there has been no time for everyone to gather and train together."

'He added, "I have spoken about the schedule many times. This is inhumane. It will be the most difficult schedule in LAFC history and will never be easy."

'However, blaming the schedule alone is not enough; the tactical blunders shown on this day were also painful. To fill the void left by ace Denis Bouanga, Coach Dos Santos deployed Son Heung-min in the second central midfield role to orchestrate play, but there were simply not enough players inside the box to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Coach Dos Santos also noted, "We need to improve the process of entering the box. I instructed Nathan Ordaz to attack the box, while Son Heung-min orchestrated the game from behind. As a result, there were not enough numbers inside the box. The opposing center-backs were so tall and strong that it was not easy."

'Regarding the rapidly collapsing defensive balance, he mentioned a psychological blow. Coach Dos Santos said, "A month ago, people said the LAFC defense was like the AC Milan of the 1980s, but now they say there is a problem with their balance. We just returned from a tough match in Mexico, and when the opponent's first shot resulted in a goal, we collapsed mentally. This kind of situation makes frustration set in even faster."

'In just the last two matches, the team has allowed a total of one goal and eight goals, showing a mismatch on both offense and defense. Coach Dos Santos said, "Managing the squad is really not easy. In particular, it was painful that we could not stop the opponent's counterattacks. The hardest part is that whenever we try to fix something, the next match is already waiting."

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*This content was translated by AI.