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Son Heung-min set to return for final phase of 2025 MLS

Published: 15 Oct. 2025, 20:26

Korea's Son Heung-min dribbles the ball during a friendly against Paraguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Oct. 14. [YONHAP]

Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min is set to return to MLS action after making the all-time cap record for the Korean national team on Friday in a friendly against Brazil.

Son, 33, made his 137th cap against Brazil and extended the all-time record by featuring in the following friendly against Paraguay on Tuesday, surpassing the cap record of fellow Korean football legends Cha Bum-kun and Hong Myung-bo in the process.

Son will be in the final phase of the 2025 MLS action with LAFC, which lost 1-0 to Austin FC on Sunday in the absence of the Korean forward. The MLS season runs even during international breaks, unlike European football campaigns.

Son has already established himself as a key attacker in the LAFC forward lineup, alongside Denis Bouanga. The pair has a combined 17 goals over six matches, with Son having scored seven and Bouanga 10.

LAFC now sits third in the Western Conference with 59 points, while No. 1 Vancouver Whitecaps hold 63.

With one regular season game remaining for all MLS teams, LAFC is out of the Western Conference league title, but the club can still play for the MLS Cup.

The top eight teams from each conference advance to the MLS Cup playoffs after the 34-match regular season.

A total of 18 teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences qualify for the playoffs, with the final two teams entering the season finale of the MLS Cup.

Son limited his playing time to the first half of the Paraguay match to conserve stamina.

“Manager Hong Myung-bo told me in advance about the plan,” Son said after Tuesday's game. “I still have important matches left with my club, so he considered that. I remain fully fit and ready to play a full 90 minutes when needed.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PIH JU-YOUNG [[email protected]]