'Murderous schedule' has spread for Son Heung-min; finally excluded from starting lineup... even the team's ace sent to the bench

*This content was translated by AI.

After enduring a grueling schedule that led to physical exhaustion, 34-year-old Son Heung-min has been excluded from the starting lineup for the first time in a while and will wait on the bench.

Son Heung-min's team, LAFC, is set to face Colorado Rapids in an MLS Round 20 match at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado on the morning of the 20th (10:30 a.m. Korean time).

In the starting lineup released ahead of the match, coach Marc Dos Santos placed both his main striker Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga on the bench, implementing a major rotation strategy.

LAFC selected Jeremy Ebobisse as the forward in place of Son Heung-min. Jacob Shaffelburg and Tyler Boyd were deployed on both wings. The midfield trio consists of Timothy Tillman, Eddie Segura, and Mathieu Choiniere. The back four is composed of Evgeni Chebko, Nkosi Tafari, Ryan Porteous, and Ryan Hollingshead, while goalkeeper Cabral Carter guards the goal.

This exclusion was anticipated. In a pre-match press conference, Coach Dos Santos stated, "We played eight matches over the past month, with games continuing every Wednesday and Saturday, which forced us to push our players hard. Some players were pushed too far, and some even reached the brink of injury." He added, "Considering the upcoming Colorado away match and the following Portland Timbers game, it is crucial to reduce leg fatigue and maintain a healthy physical condition," emphasizing his commitment to managing player minutes.

Especially urgent was the need to manage Son Heung-min's stamina, as he had started every match since the World Cup break, playing over 80 minutes in each game. Coach Dos Santos explained, "Our team has the second-highest average age in MLS. Personally, I would love to keep Son Heung-min on the pitch at all times because our team becomes much more threatening when he plays, but we cannot expect him to maintain peak freshness while playing three matches a week for several consecutive weeks." He further noted, "We will carefully manage and distribute playing time for key players like Son Heung-min and Bouanga."

In fact, Son Heung-min recently hit a physical wall and his performance dipped. After returning to LAFC following the 2026 FIFA World Cup break in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, he maintained peak scoring form with four consecutive goals in MLS regular-season matches and multiple goals in the All-Star game, totaling six goals in five games.

However, during a grueling three-match run over approximately eight days in the League Cup, he remained silent as his team failed to advance to the quarterfinals. Even in last Monday's (the 16th) MLS home match against San Diego FC (0-1 loss), where he played the full 90 minutes, he failed to score, extending his goalless streak in official matches to four games. With this defeat, LAFC remains third in the Western Conference with 34 points (10 wins, 5 draws, 6 losses).

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*This content was translated by AI.