He finally took him out. The card that coach Mark Dos Santos had tried to keep until the end was Son Heung-min. The plan had been rotation, but the result was 'reliance on the ace.' And after the match, the coach did not hide the reasoning behind that choice.
LAFC drew 2-2 with San Diego FC on the 3rd (Korean time) in the MLS 11th round at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, United States. It was a match in which they salvaged 1 point from a flow that had looked headed for defeat.
The start was uneasy. Coach Dos Santos implemented bold rotation to prepare for the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal against Toluca. Nonstarters such as Jeremy Ebobisse, Jude Therry and Kenny Nielsen started. But the performance failed to meet expectations. They could not control the flow even against San Diego, which had gone eight matches without a win.
They conceded in the 7th minute of the first half. They fell behind after conceding the opening goal to Marcus Ingvartsen. Even after that, the attacking buildup was frustrating, and time passed without gaining control.
In the end the choice changed. In the 15th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min was brought on. The plan had been to give him rest, but the situation did not allow it. And the change appeared immediately. In the 37th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min delivered an accurate pass to Denis Bouanga, who was making a run from the left, and Bouanga finished it, sparking the comeback.
The mood changed rapidly. LAFC increased the intensity of their attack, and in stoppage time of the second half Ryan Hollingshead's equalizer completed a dramatic draw.
But the rotation strategy was not perfect in the end. It was a choice made to manage stamina, but in the end starters such as Marco Delgado, David Martinez and Mathieu Choiniere were brought on en masse in the second half. In particular, with stoppage time extended to 16 minutes, Son Heung-min had to play about 46 minutes, longer than expected.
After the match, coach Dos Santos frankly described the practical difficulties. He said, "Toluca is really a hard place to go. They have gone about 20 home games unbeaten," and explained, "We know well that we must produce a special result there."
He added, "It is natural to be careful when constructing the lineup. Everyone wants to play with their best players, but there are physical limits."
He also made his stance clear about outside views. He emphasized, "People sitting on their couch at home drinking beer easily ask why we don't always use the best members. But it's hard to understand that difficulty unless you experience it yourself."
As a result, LAFC secured 1 point. Coach Dos Santos said, "We got good results in the recent away game at Minnesota and the first leg against Toluca. In this situation it is important to get points," and added, "It wasn't a perfect match, but the energy and mentality of the substitutes made a big difference. Now we'll rest and focus on the Toluca match."
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