'Three consecutive scoreless World Cup matches → three straight goals': How did Son Heung-min achieve such a 'perfect' comeback... with his 'killer instinct' vividly revived?

*This content was translated by AI.

It is clearly different from the World Cup period. Son Heung-min (34), captain of the South Korean national football team, has scored in every match since returning to his club LAFC.

On the morning of the 26th at 11:30 (Korean time), Son Heung-min scored the decisive opening goal against Sporting Kansas City in the 18th round of the 2026 U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) held at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Thanks to Son Heung-min's outstanding performance with three consecutive goals, LAFC surged to four straight victories, recording 10 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses for 33 points in the MLS Western Conference, tying with top-ranked Vancouver Whitecaps (33 points from 16 matches).

Son Heung-min bounced back immediately after the World Cup. After scoring his first goal of the season against LA Galaxy in a derby match on the 18th, Son Heung-min netted three consecutive goals against Real Salt Lake on the 23rd and Kansas City on the 26th, announcing a brilliant comeback.

It took only five minutes to reach the goal. In a counterattack, Son Heung-min penetrated the space behind the opponent's defense, collided with a Kansas City defender, and elegantly pushed the ball into the net with his right foot. Although the goalkeeper narrowed the angle, he could not stop Son Heung-min's low shot aimed at the far left corner.

Along with the outstanding performance of key striker Son Heung-min, LAFC's results are also soaring. With explosive attacking power, LAFC has recorded at least three goals in each of their last three matches since facing LA Galaxy.

Before returning to LAFC, Son Heung-min endured pain during the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup. On the 12th, he played 69 minutes in the first Group A match against Czech Republic but remained scoreless. In the subsequent second match against Mexico, he played 57 minutes but failed to score. On the 25th, against South Africa, he started on the bench for his first World Cup career and was substituted in at the start of the second half but ended without scoring. Ultimately, Korea concluded the group stage with one win and two losses, failing to qualify among the top eight third-place teams, suffering elimination from the World Cup.

As captain of the South Korean national team, the disappointment must have been immense. In fact, Marc Dos Santos, LAFC's head coach, expressed concern in an interview after Son Heung-min's return, stating, "Son Heung-min may not have fully shed his physical and emotional disappointments."

Contrary to the coach's worries, Son Heung-min has regained perfect form since returning to LAFC. In the match against LA Galaxy, he struck with his right foot near the penalty area, aiming at the far left corner of the goal. Against Salt Lake, he tore through the net with a powerful long-range shot using his left foot.

Including the goal against Kansas City, Son Heung-min has recorded three goals and 10 assists in 16 matches this season. He leads alone in the assist category.

A tight schedule now awaits. Son Heung-min's LAFC will face first-place Vancouver away on the 2nd, followed by a league cup series against CD Guadalajara on the 6th, Chivas on the 9th, and Querétaro FC (all from Mexico) on the 13th.

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*This content was translated by AI.