* Translated by AI

Starnews

[Official] '18-year-old Korean ace' Son Heung-min shares the same pot: a golden opportunity... Yoo Seung-jae loaned to LAFC 2nd team

Published:

박건도

*This content was translated by AI.

JejuSK's Yoo Seung-jae. /Photo=Korea Professional Football League
JejuSK's Yoo Seung-jae. /Photo=Korea Professional Football League

JejuSK's global youth development project has produced another player for overseas deployment, this time in the United States following its initiative in Munich, Germany. Eighteen-year-old top prospect Yoo Seung-jae will join LAFC's second team under the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) organization.

LAFC2 of Major League Soccer (MLS) announced on the 9th via a press release that it has loaned striker Yoo Seung-jae from JejuSK until June 2027. The Jeju club also confirmed the news of Yoo's loan move to LAFC2 on the same day.

Yoo Seung-jae is an elite winger who stood out at Yongin Taesung High School (Taesung FC U18). He possesses exceptional one-on-one dribbling skills and the ability to create scoring chances in front of goal. Alongside his senior and fellow professional debutant Kang Dong-hwi, he led the team to victory in the 29th Mugakgi National High School Football Tournament in 2024, earning a spot on the Best Young Player list and being selected for the U-16 national team that same year.

After dropping out of high school, Yoo joined Jeju at the beginning of this year. He made his professional debut on the 25th when he came on as a substitute in the second half of Jeju's K League 1 Round 25 home match against Pohang Steelers. He is the first player to appear in a first-division game while still in high school since Jeju established its base in 2006.

LAFC2, where Yoo Seung-jae will play, is a team competing in MLS Next Pro, the official second-tier league of MLS. Depending on his performance, various opportunities are expected to open up for him, including a potential call-up to LAFC's first team alongside Son Heung-min and advancement to Europe's top leagues through the R&G network.

This transfer marks the first case of a player moving to the United States through the partnership between JejuSK and Red & Gold Football (R&G). R&G is a global youth development platform jointly established by Bayern Munich of Germany's Bundesliga and LAFC in 2023. JejuSK became the first Asian club to sign a partnership agreement with them in September 2025. Previously, the club had drawn attention by loaning goalkeeper Heo Jae-won, a product of its youth academy, to Bayern Munich.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.

Recommended News

Editor’s Pick

Latest in Sports