"I want to keep starting Son Heung-min, but..." The 'harsh reality' of President 's recognition, what on earth is happening with LAFC

*This content was translated by AI.

Amid a grueling schedule, even 34-year-old Son Heung-min has struggled to display his full abilities. Facing fatigue among key players, Marc Dos Santos, LAFC's head coach, has warned that he will adjust the playing time of top resources, including star striker Son Heung-min.

LAFC held a press conference on the morning of the 20th (Korean time) ahead of the Major League Soccer (MLS) Round 16 match against Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado, USA.

At the pre-match press conference, Coach Dos Santos said, "This week is the final week of August's grueling schedule. We played eight matches over a month, with games on Wednesdays and Saturdays every week, so we had to push the players very hard." He added, "I feel that some players were pushed too far. Some even came close to injury. Considering the upcoming Colorado away match and the following Portland Timbers game, it is important to reduce player fatigue."

In particular, concerns over Son Heung-min's physical condition have come to the forefront after he started every match since the World Cup break. Coach Dos Santos explained, "LAFC has the second-highest average age in MLS. Therefore, we must carefully manage the playing time of players in certain age groups." He continued, "Personally, I want Son Heung-min to always play because the team is much more threatening when he is on the pitch. However, it is unrealistic to expect a single player to maintain peak performance while playing three matches a week for several consecutive weeks."

He further added, "We must pay special attention not only to Son Heung-min but also to key players like Denis Bouanga." He noted, "While the entire squad will travel to Colorado, considering the schedule of returning to Los Angeles early the next morning after the match and facing Portland with just one day of preparation, we will distribute playing time in this game."

In fact, Son Heung-min has recently shown signs of slowing down as he hit a physical wall. After returning to his club following the 2026 FIFA World Cup for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, Son scored four consecutive goals in four regular-season matches against LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Sporting Kansas City, and Vancouver Whitecaps. Including multiple goals in the midweek MLS All-Star match, he netted six goals in five games.

However, warning signs appeared during the League Cup's grueling schedule of three matches over approximately eight days. Amid the demanding fixtures, he failed to score in three consecutive matches against Mexican teams, and LAFC remained fifth in the league phase, failing to advance to the quarterfinal tournament.

Returning to the regular season on the 16th, Son started in the MLS Round 19 home match against San Diego FC (a 0-1 loss). He attempted four shots, the most by either team, and showed active dribbling, but remained silent due to the opponent's dense defense and declining stamina, ending his official matches with four consecutive scoreless games. With this defeat, LAFC dropped to third place in the Western Conference with 34 points (10 wins, 5 draws, 6 losses).

Coach Dos Santos stated, "We were unable to fully fill the positions we aimed to strengthen in this transfer market, so we had no choice but to overuse existing players." He added, "Once we get through this tight schedule, we will return to a normal rhythm of playing just one match per week."

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*This content was translated by AI.