South Korean international Son Heung-Min is officially on his way to MLS.
Western Conference club LAFC has acquired Son in a transfer from English Premier League side Tottenham, both clubs announced Wednesday. Son will be on a Designated Player contact with LAFC through the 2027 MLS season and the club also holds two option years through 2029.
“Sonny is a global icon and one of the most dynamic and accomplished players in world football,” said LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington. “His ambition, ability, and character align perfectly with our values at LAFC. We are proud that he has chosen Los Angeles for the next chapter of his extraordinary career. Sonny is a proven winner and a world-class individual, and we are confident he will elevate our club and inspire our community, both on and off the pitch.”
Son, 33, spent the last 10 years with Tottenham, helping the club reach the UEFA Champions League Final in 2019 and also lift the Europa League trophy last May. He scored 173 goals and added 101 assists in 454 appearances for the North London club.
The veteran forward has also remained a consistent performer on the international level with South Korea, earning 134 caps to date and scoring 51 goals. He has already helped his country qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will take place on North American soil.
“I’m incredibly proud to be joining LAFC, a club with big ambitions in one of the most iconic sports cities in the world,” Son said. “Los Angeles has such a rich history of champions, and I am here to help write the next chapter. I’m excited for this new challenge in MLS. I have come to L.A. to lift trophies and give everything for this club, this city, and its fans. I cannot wait to get started.”
Steve Cherundolo’s squad sit sixth in the Western Conference and have their third Leagues Cup group stage match on Tuesday against Tigres.
Great signing.
Union sign Milan Iloski. I guess San Diego didnt want him permanently. Union get a player who scored 10 goals in 14 matches played in 3 starts which totaled 473 minutes.
San Diego FC said they tried but couldn’t reach agreement. As a SDFC fan, I find it very frustrating. He was born and raised in San Diego County and went to UCLA, so he definitely has roots here and then was outstanding on loan. I can only surmise that they didn’t want to meet his salary demands. The club seems to spend money in some places, but then hold back in others. They signed Lozano to a big DP contract, but then still have one DP slot open that they don’t seem to be eager to fill. About half their starters are real veterans and the other half inexperienced youngsters. In attendance they are 4th best in all of MLS. They seem to have trust in their system such that they seem to have decided that they don’t need to spend much more on players. The last 2 players they signed were youngster with little experience and not at a high level. Still, they lead the division and in their last game against Mazatlan they controlled the game, won 2-0 and could have scored one or two more goals. Given all that, it’s hard for me to complain too much about how the team is being run.
Gary, what I heard was salary demands as well. I agree with Heaps and Varas, a guy who has never put up this kind of numbers outside USL I don’t think I’d throw DP money at. They’re very much into the analytics and Milan only had an xG of like 4.1, so he’s vastly out performing, without more history to back it up you have to be wary of a big dry spell where his goals scored comes back to his xG. If he’d lit it up in Denmark you’d maybe through DP money at him. Also another sign that Philly is moving away from the play the kids model looking more to veterans.
Johnny R–Perhaps I was not clear. I was not saying they should pay him DP money, What I was saying is that they haven’t filled one DP slot and have been using low salaried players a lot so that they could afford to pay Iloski a substantial amount. I think the salary number being discussed was either $150 k or $195 k, can’t remember which it was. Since I wrote my first post they bought Corey Baird for only $50 k with possible performance payments. Interestingly enough, both he and Iloski come from the same suburban city in San Diego County.
Wow…..Son Heung-Min is a great signing for LAFC. Impeccable work ethic, quick on the ball, GREAT BALL CONTROL and can shoot with both feet…..in mean Liverpool was interested in him a few years ago, particularly in 2022.
He is coming to one of the big soccer markets in MLS (which is good). Now they just need to do is sign a high-profile midfielder like Luka Modrić AND THE ARE GOLDEN!!!
I never understood why they didn’t keep Diego Rossi. I don’t know if they had their sights on Son back then, but he more than fills Rossi’s spot and i s another great addition to the league. Even if players like him have only 2 more good years left, that’s still a big signing. Messi is still lighting it up.
Fenerbahce gave them 8.75 million reasons not to keep Rossi. That and Diego wanted to test himself in Europe.