LAFC needs Son to shine

From a step inside of the penalty arc, Son Heung-min unleashed a furious right-footed shot that curled around the hands of the diving goalkeeper.

- DYLAN HERNÁNDEZ

SON Heung-min is to Korea what Shohei Ohtani is to Japan.

The shot crashed into the post.

No goal.

And that was more or less it. Son didn't have any other real chances to score in LAFC’s 2-1 defeat to San Diego FC.

Son's first game at BMO Stadium was a major event, just like David Beckham’s and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s debuts with the Galaxy, just like Lionel Messi’s initial months with Inter Miami.

Whatever its shortcomings, Major League Soccer can stage major events, and Son and LAFC delivered the latest on Sunday night.

Son’s replica jerseys were everywhere, including some that were of the Tottenham Hotspur variety. Several South Korean flags were waved in LAFC’s standing-only supporters section behind the north goal. Tickets for seats in the stadium’s second deck were selling on the secondary market for upward of $150.

Translating such a landmark moment into sustained viewership, however, is something the MLS is still figuring out. How Son played or, more precisely, how LAFC deployed him won't advance the cause.