There was no warm-up. It was an explosion right away. In his first official match of the new season wearing the LAFC uniform, Son Heung-min put on a powerful debut on the North American stage by producing 1 goal and 3 assists in just 38 minutes of the first half. It was a display of dominance that made the word debut seem meaningless.
LAFC faced Real España in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup first round in Honduras on the 18th (Korean time).
Away match, season opener, first appearance in the competition. There were many variables, but Son Heung-min's finishing did not waver. From the start of the match, every time he received the ball he dragged the opposing defensive line out, and with forward pressure and well-timed runs he tore open space.
The first scene came in the 11th minute of the first half. Son Heung-min's through pass from the half-space split the defense, and Martinez finished with his left foot. It was more than a simple assist. Tempo control, timing and vision all came together.
In the 21st minute of the first half he stepped up as the finisher. As the penalty-kick taker, after a short run-up he calmly shook the net. His first goal of the season. His expression was composed, but the momentum of the game had completely swung to LAFC's side.
It did not end there. A few minutes later he set up Deni Buanga's goal. After receiving the ball on the left, he drew defenders in and played an accurate cutback. The finish was Buanga's.
In the 38th minute of the first half he read Tillman's run and threaded an accurate pass into the space behind, completing an assist hat trick. Four attacking points in the first half alone. The numbers were the game.
The statistics are even harsher. After joining LAFC last summer and finishing his first season with 13 matches, 12 goals and 4 assists, he added 1 goal and 3 assists in this match to reach 14 matches, 13 goals and 7 assists, recording 20 total attacking points.
Nearly 1.4 contributions per game. That efficiency applies across league and cup. It proved that this was not a simple star signing but a move that changes the structure itself.
Newly appointed coach Mark Dos Santos deployed a 4-3-3. Son Heung-min started on the left wing but was effectively in a free role. He drifted inside to link play and stretched wide to isolate opposing fullbacks.
Even without the ball he constantly disrupted the defensive line. Until he was substituted for Ordaz in the 15th minute of the second half, he was the reference point of the match. Buanga completed his hat trick by adding another goal in the 26th minute of the second half, and Son Heung-min's influence remained meaningful beyond the statistics.
Now attention turns to the next schedule. On the 22nd in the MLS season opener they face Inter Miami, anchored by Lionel Messi. And the second leg will be held in LA on the 25th. It is an early litmus test to gauge the direction of the season.
OSEN=Reporter Lee In-hwan