'Two consecutive games without a goal': Son Heung-min's justified silence, concerns over fatal overwork "Some players were completely drained"... LAFC coach confesses

*This content was translated by AI.

Concerns also extend to Son Heung-min (34, LAFC)'s future performance. The club's head coach raised issues regarding the team's physical decline and overwork amid a grueling schedule.

On the 9th (Korea time), LAFC secured a dramatic 1-0 victory against Toluca (Mexico) in the second group stage match of the 2026 Leagues Cup at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA, thanks to an injury-time winner by Eddie Segura.

With this win, LAFC avenged their 0-4 defeat to Toluca in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-finals last May and recorded one win and one draw (five points) in the Leagues Cup, climbing to fifth place among the 18th MLS participating teams.

Starting as the forward in a 4-3-3 formation on this day, Son Heung-min struggled under intense marking by the opposing defense and was substituted off in the 23rd minute of the second half for Jeremy Ebobisse. According to football statistics platform 'FootMob', Son exited the field without registering a single shot in 68 minutes of play.

This relentless schedule is bound to be exhausting. Since returning to his club LAFC after completing North American World Cup qualifiers, Son Heung-min has started every match played. Starting from the LA Galaxy match on the 18th of last month up to this Toluca game, he has been selected in the starting lineup for six consecutive matches.

Notably, in the recent Chivas Guadalajara match on the 6th and this Toluca game, Son showed visible signs of struggle due to intense marking and close tracking by opposing defenders. This is a consequence of rapidly increasing physical burden from an unrelenting schedule without rest.

Accumulated fatigue across the entire team, including Son Heung-min, is Head Coach Marc Dos Santos' biggest concern. After the Toluca victory, Coach Dos Santos stated in a press conference: "The current situation regarding players' physical burden and overwork is extremely worrying. Especially, a player like Ryan Hollingshead was completely drained. If we had seven substitution cards available, we would have used all of them," honestly revealing the team's current condition.

Continuing, Coach Dos Santos added: "We need to deepen our squad depth. I cannot yet guarantee which players will be in top condition for the next match. Yesterday, it took a long time to finalize the lineup and discuss with players while checking their recovery status. Now that we have secured a victory, we must think more deeply about how to manage the team."

The problem is that the upcoming schedule offers no breathing room either. After facing Querétaro in the Leagues Cup on the 13th, LAFC must immediately tackle three consecutive MLS regular season matches scheduled for the 16th, 20th, and 23rd. This is a tight schedule requiring four matches to be played in just over ten days.

Coach Dos Santos also expressed strong determination: "Even after the Leagues Cup, matches against San Diego and Colorado will follow consecutively. The schedule is tight and difficult, but LAFC will not give up and will push forward with their best efforts."

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*This content was translated by AI.