"The captain of the Republic of Korea has arrived." Son Heung-min joins Salt Lake camp... "Excited like a child" preparing for 4th World Cup

*This content was translated by AI.

'Captain' Son Heung-min (34, LAFC), who will compete in the 2026 North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup, has joined Hong Myung-bo's U.S. Salt Lake City pre-camp.

Son Heung-min played in the 2026 U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) 15th-round home match against Seattle at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on the 25th (Korean time), and immediately moved his belongings to the Lee Dong-hae (CEO) team camp in Salt Lake City on the 26th.

As a symbol of Korean football, Son Heung-min is on the verge of a historic achievement: his fourth consecutive World Cup appearance. The current record for most World Cup appearances by a Korean player is four, held by Hong Myeong-bo (CEO) team coach, Hwang Sun-hong, Daejeon Hanacitizen coach, and Lee Woon-jae, Vietnam goalkeeper coach. If he participates in this tournament, Son Heung-min will stand shoulder to shoulder with the legends of Korean football alongside Kim Seung-gyu.

He is also ready to rewrite the history of goals. Son Heung-min aims to become the first Korean to score a 'fourth World Cup goal' in this tournament. Son Heung-min scored his debut goal against Algeria in the 2014 Brazil World Cup, followed by goals against Mexico and Germany in the 2018 Russia World Cup. Currently, with a total of three goals, he shares the top spot for most World Cup goals by a Korean player with Ahn Jung-hwan and Park Ji-sung. One more goal will put him in sole possession of the lead.

Earlier, Son Heung-min conveyed his overwhelming emotions toward the World Cup stage through a press conference held by his club team LA FC on the 23rd, stating, "Participating in the World Cup for four consecutive times is truly special. I feel excited just like a child who first dreamed of the World Cup."

He also remained confident regarding concerns raised by some due to his goalless performance in the first half of this MLS season. Son Heung-min said, "Goals can happen at any time. My abilities have not disappeared," and added, "I want to do my best to help the team achieve good results," showing a composed attitude.

Meanwhile, Hong Myung-bo's team saw foreign-based players such as Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland), and Park Jin-seop (Zhejiang) joining one after another along with Son Heung-min on this day, completing the pre-camp entry for 24 of the 26th final roster members. With Kim Min-jae joining on the 27th and Lee Kang-in on June 1, the 'complete team' for the North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup will be finalized.

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*This content was translated by AI.