Son Heung-min's absurd pass and a wasted assist... Son Heung-min's 'heartbreaking silence'

*This content was translated by AI.

Son Heung-min (34, LAFC), who played the full 90 minutes in three consecutive official matches, failed to break his silence. His efforts were dimmed by a teammate's absurd pass at a crucial scoring opportunity and by a teammate carelessly missing Son Heung-min's sharp pass.

Son Heung-min started and played the full 90 minutes in the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) Round 13 match against St. Louis City at Energizer Park in St. Louis, USA, on the 14th (Korean time), but he left the field with his head down without scoring his first league goal or recording an assist. He has gone 11 consecutive MLS opening matches without a goal, and his attacking points have been silent for three straight matches. The team also lost 1-2 to St. Louis today, falling into a three-match losing streak in official games following a 0-4 defeat against Toluca (Mexico) in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and a 1-4 loss to Houston Dynamo in MLS.

Son Heung-min's performance was not poor. It was not just a shot blocked by the goalkeeper's save late in the first half; there were quite a few decisive opportunities to record attacking points. However, his teammates' passes and finishing were consistently lacking. Son Heung-min also could not hide his frustration whenever such frustrating situations arose.

It was stoppage time in the first half with the team trailing 0-1. Son Heung-min's free kick from the right side of the midfield area curled sharply toward the goal. This was connected by a header from Enock Tapa at the edge of the box. It was essentially a free header without direct interference from a defender, but the accuracy was poor. Although it was right in front of the goal, Tapa's header went far wide of the post. Son Heung-min also raised both arms, unable to hide his disappointment.

The situation in the second half, 2nd minute was even more frustrating. It was a decisive counterattack situation with three LAFC attackers, including Son Heung-min, facing two opposing defenders. Son Heung-min, who had penetrated to the left, went behind the opposing defenders. However, Timothy Tillman's through pass was directed toward the goalkeeper instead of Son Heung-min. If the pass had been accurately connected to Son Heung-min, it would have been a decisive chance that could easily have led to a goal, but it was wasted by a single absurd pass.

LAFC, which repeatedly missed decisive opportunities to balance the game centered on Son Heung-min, was pushed into a corner by conceding an additional goal in the 19th minute of the second half. At least David Martinez scored a consolation goal in the 28th minute of the second half, and Son Heung-min, who was at the center of the attack, tried to equalize but was not enough to break through St. Louis's defense. In the end, the match concluded with a 1-2 defeat for LAFC.

Son Heung-min, who played the full 90 minutes, recorded two shots, four chances created, and an 86% pass success rate. The only decisive moment where he directly targeted the opponent's goal was a single shot blocked by the goalkeeper's save late in the first half, but the lack of support from teammates, including Tillman's pass, was also a significant factor. It was also frustrating that he recorded the most chances created on the team but failed to record an assist.

Meanwhile, Son Heung-min, who has continued his goal drought for 11 consecutive MLS matches this season, is scheduled to face Nashville SC on the 18th and Seattle Sounders on the 25th in MLS Rounds 14 and 15. Afterward, he will join the national football team under coach Hong Myung-bo to prepare for the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup.

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*This content was translated by AI.