Son Heung-min moved to the United States last summer with the upcoming FIFA World Cup in mind.
On the cusp of assembling with his South Korean teammates following the Los Angeles Football Club’s last match prior to the World Cup break on Sunday.
To varying degrees, Son’s plan came to pass.
Playing 20 games with LAFC since mid-February and traveling most of the 35,000 miles the team flew throughout the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras, Son declared himself fit and injury free ahead of his fourth World Cup, in as good a spot as any of his countrymen.
“That was, in a way, what I focused on most in preparing for the World Cup,” Son, 33, a native of Chuncheon, South Korea, said Friday.
Son equated every World Cup experience to living out a childhood dream, speaking in advance of the forward’s initial clash against the Seattle Sounders.
Following Brazil, Russia and most recently Qatar, the journey in 2026 is guaranteed a trio of group stage games in Mexico, which was a bit of a surprise since he went to the U.S. thinking about acclimating for games here.
A recent pair of CONCACAF Champions Cup matches clued Son into the challenge of competing in Mexico, which is one of three host countries, along with the U.S. and Canada.
South Korea plays Mexico in the second game of Group A at Guadalajara on June 18.
“They are hosting the World Cup, which for their country is a big, big deal,” Son said. “We are happy to go there and challenge ourselves.”
As close as Son is to becoming South Korea’s all-time leading World Cup goal scorer (he needs one more), “I’m never thinking about the future,” he said. “I’m always thinking day-by-day, game-by-game, so I think the most important game is on Sunday. I just want to make sure that we get a great result before I go to the World Cup with a great feeling.”
The visiting Sounders (7-2-3, 24 points) ended a nine-game unbeaten streak last week in a 2-0 defeat to the Galaxy. Seattle can’t have the game “become a track meet,” said veteran head coach Brian Schmetzer. “That’s gonna favor them.”
Through 34 appearances in all competitions with LAFC, at his best, Son ran past a slew of defenders and was clinical around goal. He tallied 14 goals and 20 assists.
He arrived on a heater, torching opponents to the tune of 12 goals in 13 games, plus four assists.
Scoring in the months leading up to the World Cup has proven difficult. Two goals in 20 games, however, have been offset by the fact that Son ranks as top facilitator in MLS this year, delivering nine assists against the league and 16 overall.
“Right now, I may not be scoring many goals, but I believe goals can come at any time,” he said. “The ability I have does not just disappear overnight, does it?”
Too often, Son’s partnership with Denis Bouanga has vanished or looked far less dangerous than the dynamic duo was under former head coach Steve Cherundolo.
Son affirmed that he remains close with Bouanga on and off the field, and stood by his relationship with first-year manager Marc Dos Santos.
Criticism of the coach during this bad run has been “very harsh” and “a little bit unfair,” suggested Son, who accepted blame as well. “We always try to find the best solution for me and for Denis. He’s just working on it.”
Closing out a difficult two-month stretch before breaking until July 17, LAFC has lost four straight across all competitions. An ongoing 1-5-2 rut in the MLS regular season effectively wiped out a 5-0-1 start that featured six straight shutouts.
The Seattle match is the first time since April 4 that Son, Bouanga and LAFC did not have a midweek date to contend with. Taking three days off this week, LAFC (6-5-3, 21 points) resumed training Thursday, minus fullback Sergi Palencia and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Dos Santos said Palencia underwent successful surgery for a muscular issue in the aftermath of their last home match, a 4-1 defeat to Houston. No additional details were provided.
The coach also confirmed that Lloris, arguably the club’s most valuable player so far, will miss his second consecutive matchday with a muscle injury.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS AT LAFC
When: Sunday, 6:25 p.m.
Where: BMO Stadium, Los Angeles
TV/Radio: FOX, FOX Deportes, Apple TV/710 AM, 980 AM, 1230 AM