'7 Shots, 0 Goals': Son Heung-min Again Scoreless, Silence Extends to 12 Matches, 'FullTime Rating 6.9'

*This content was translated by AI.

Son Heung-min (34, LAFC) failed to score again. Despite active movement to draw in the opposing defense and covering the entire field, he could not break his 12-match goalless streak.

On the 25th (Korean time), LAFC secured a 1-0 victory over Seattle Sounders in a home match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, USA, thanks to a late second-half winning goal by Timothy Tillman.

With this win, LAFC added three points, bringing their total to 24 points in 15 matches, closing the gap to fourth-place Dallas (15 matches, 25 points) by just one point.

Football statistics specialist 'FootMob' awarded Son Heung-min a rating of 6.9 for his performance in the match.

The scoring machine rarely fired. Son Heung-min attempted a total of seven shots, including five in the first half, but only two were on target. Shots taken inside the box were blocked by the opponent's dense defensive wall or missed the goal, while only two sharp shots from outside the box found the target, leaving him with a sense of regret.

He was unable to break through the narrow defensive line alone. Son Heung-min recorded a 50% (3/6) dribble success rate, but faced intense marking from the opposition, losing possession three times and showing a somewhat struggling flow. As a result, Son Heung-min's MLS 12-match consecutive goalless streak (with eight assists) continues.

LAFC deployed a 4-3-3 formation on this day. Centered around Son Heung-min, Denis Bouanga and David Martinez formed the front attacking line. Tillman, Mathieu Choiniere, and Marco Delgado held the midfield, while Eddie Segura, Aaron Long, Ryan Porteous, and Ryan Hollingshead manned the back line. Thomas Hasal wore the goalkeeper gloves.

Seattle countered with a 4-2-3-1 tactic. Jordan Morris started as the lone striker, with Paul Roslund, Albert Rusnak, and Jesus Ferreira positioned on the second line. Hasani Daws and Christian Roldan played as defensive midfielders, while Nuhu Tolo, Jackson Reagen, Kim Ki-hee, and Kalani Riezing were responsible for defense. Andrew Thomas guarded the goal.

The match unfolded in a dull manner throughout the first half as Seattle pushed their line deep. With Seattle deploying a thorough dense defense, even Son Heung-min and Bouanga struggled to find solutions. LAFC limited itself to simple long passes toward the penalty box from the wings and near the half-line, and as low-probability attacks repeated, Seattle defended comfortably before launching counterattacks.

After ending the first half 0-0, in the 22nd minute of the second half, Son Heung-min seized a decisive header chance but unfortunately failed to connect properly with his head, nullifying the opportunity. Had he connected cleanly, the ball would have had a high probability of being sucked into the goal.

In the middle of the second half, LAFC faced a major crisis. In the 31st minute, the side defense was breached, allowing Seattle an easy cross, and the subsequent shot struck the crossbar and bounced out, allowing LAFC to barely escape a goal-scoring crisis.

Son Heung-min, who survived the crisis, immediately launched a counterattack, but this time fortune turned away. In the 32nd minute of the second half, Son Heung-min's right-footed shot from directly in front of the arc rolled low and fast into the far right corner of the goal, but Seattle goalkeeper Thomas leaped and deflected it with the tip of his right hand.

The frustrating balance was dramatically broken with four minutes remaining in regular time. In the 41st minute of the second half, Son Heung-min and Bouanga drew the opposing defense's attention perfectly with aggressive movements near the penalty box, creating space. Taking advantage of this, Tyler Boyd delivered a cross, and midfielder Tillman, rushing toward the goal, leaped to connect for the winning goal.

Three minutes of added time were given. The match ended with a 1-0 victory for LAFC without any additional goals.

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup, Son Heung-min, who will serve as captain of the South Korean national football team, has remained silent since the match against Cruz Azul (Mexico) on April 8.

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*This content was translated by AI.