Assists have been increasing. The problem is goals. Son Heung-min (34, LAFC) has been goalless for an increasingly long time. The CONCACAF World Cup is now less than a month away.
LAFC lost 2-3 to Nashville SC in an away match in the 14th round of the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, on the 18th (Korea time). With this defeat, LAFC plunged into a slump of three straight league losses and four straight losses in official matches including cup competitions.
Son Heung-min started as the central forward and played the full 90 minutes. He added one assist to reach his 16th assist of the season and his ninth in the league. However, he still did not score.
He has now gone 11 league matches without a goal. By official records, his goalless minutes have extended to 865 minutes.
The start was good. In the fifth minute of the first half, Son Heung-min picked up the ball near the halfway line and ran about 40 meters himself. He burst into the box in one go and connected to a left-footed shot, but it was stopped by the goalkeeper.
In the 10th minute of the first half, he threaded an accurate pass into the right space to create a decisive chance for David Martínez. After that, he consistently served as a link in the attack.
The problem was the "finishing." In the 30th minute of the first half, when Timothy Tillman chose a forced shot inside the box, Son Heung-min showed strong frustration because he had been completely unmarked. That much, his penetration into the box itself continued.
The flow in the second half was similar. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Son Heung-min assisted Denis Bouanga's goal with a sharp corner kick, adding an assist. He created as many as five chances. That was the most by either team.
In the 27th minute of the second half, he aimed for an equalizer with a curling left-footed shot but again failed to beat the goalkeeper.
In the end, Son Heung-min finished the match with four shots, two on target, five chances created, and a 92% pass success rate, yet without scoring.
His assist production remains top-class. His game management and linking ability are also alive. In fact, Son Heung-min's recent role at LAFC is closer to an attacking midfielder or second-line playmaker than a front-line finisher.
Coach Hong Myung-bo also mentioned this directly. At the World Cup final roster announcement press conference on the 16th, Hong said, "I went to LA and watched the matches myself to see why Son Heung-min is not scoring," and explained, "He has been playing a bit deeper than with the national team, so many chances did not come."
He added, "The national team and club are different. We need to keep sharing with the player which position and role are most suitable and prepare accordingly."
In reality, Son Heung-min's role now involves much more build-up linking, progression, and set-piece responsibilities than finishing inside the box.
But the World Cup ultimately requires results from the forwards. The overall flow of the national team attack is not very good either. Jo Gyu-seong has also gone nine official matches without a goal recently. Among them, the player showing the best form is Oh Hyun-kyu. Since his move to Beşiktaş, he has consistently scored and maintains the hottest condition among the national team forwards.
Son Heung-min is still the captain of the national team. His experience, influence, and match management ability are all unparalleled. But what is needed now is not name value. It is whether he can shake the opposing goal in the World Cup.
Even if his role at LAFC has changed, 12 consecutive matches without a goal is by no means a number to take lightly.
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