More than 500 MLS players vote for LAFC,
Also selected as ‘Best Home Advantage Club’
“We took first place by recruiting Son Heung-min and Lloris.”
LAFC’s Son Heung-min doing the ‘click’ ceremony. AFP Yonhap News
Son Heung-min of Los Angeles (LA) FC of the American Professional Soccer League (MLS) has instilled a clear presence in the players playing in MLS.
The American media Sports Illustrated (SI) reported on the 31st of last month (Korean time) that LAFC was selected in the ‘Club I want to play for most’ and ‘Best home advantage club’ categories in the 2025 annual survey conducted by the MLS Players Association. About 500 players from MLS participated in the survey.
This is truly the result of the ‘Son Heung-min effect’. SI explained, “Inter Miami (where Lionel Messi plays) has proven to be an attractive option for free agent (FA) players and other prospects entering the league, but was not included in the most attractive clubs in this poll. Instead, LAFC took first place by signing Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris.”
Son Heung-min caused a syndrome as soon as he joined LAFC in early August for $26.5 million (about 38 billion won), the highest transfer fee in MLS history. First of all, the ‘ticket power’ was unique. At the first LA home game against Salt Lake, 22,000 seats were filled, and ticket prices rose by up to $5,000 (about 7.2 million won), attracting a cloud of spectators. San Jose Earthquakes, conscious of the ‘Son Heung-min Syndrome’, rented the home stadium of the National Football League (NFL) San Francisco 49ers, which seats more than 60,000 people, instead of their home stadium with 18,000 seats, and attracted a whopping 50,978 spectators. San Jose even set the record for the largest home attendance.
This Son Heung-min effect has helped LAFC become the ‘best home advantage club’ for MLS players. SI acknowledged soccer fans’ interest in Son Heung-min by posting a photo of a large electronic display board with Son Heung-min’s face reflected on it. He continued, “LAFC’s supporters have established themselves as the highest level supporters not only in MLS but also around the world.”
After joining LAFC, Son Heung-min showed off his explosive performance by scoring 12 goals and 4 assists in 13 official games. In particular, the fantastic free kick goal he scored against Dallas in August was selected as the ‘2025 MLS Goal of the Year’ by an overwhelming vote of fans (43.5%), beating Messi (22.5%). MLS, which has fully experienced the Son Heung-min effect, scheduled the opening match between LAFC and Inter Miami at the LA Memorial Coliseum on the 22nd of next month. The LA Memorial Coliseum, where the match between Son Heung-min and Messi took place, is the scheduled venue for the opening ceremony of the 2028 LA Olympics and has a whopping 77,000 seats.
Eunyoung Kang reporter kiss@hankookilbo.com
