The South Korea captain has brought attacking quality to LAFC, as well as a willingness to be a face for the league
After the final whistle of LAFC's 4-1 win over Real Salt Lake Wednesday night, Son Heung-Min took time for everything. He did a TV interview, and answered each question gracefully. He smiled for fans, and took in the scenes around him. And then, after the furor had died down, he did a post-game media availability, taking on each query with the kind of effort you might expect out of a much younger, much more naive professional athlete.
It helped, too, that he was excellent on the pitch. Son dazzled with the first of what you might suspect will be many hat-tricks for LAFC, cutting through a helpless Real Salt Lake side with the kind of razor-sharp grace that both Spurs and South Korea fans took in for years.
It was a strange evening in the scope of modern day Major League Soccer. Superstars aren't supposed to do this anymore. They don't give up spare time or smile for the cameras. They might not even impact the game that much.
For some, coming to America, kicking a ball about a bit, grabbing a paycheck, is something of an extended holiday. Even the best to ever play the game – and some of the best to ever grace the league – have treated things more like a kickabout and drive home than a sporting duty.
Yet here we have Son, who breaks that mold. So much of the conversation around his signing was about how important he would be for the Korean community, or how much he would raise the profile of MLS. That is all true.
But what is perhaps missed, somehow, in all of this, is the fact that Son is a very good footballer who takes this job very, seriously. And for LAFC – the soccer team and brand – his impact could not be more welcome.
MLS and the relationship with superstardom
There are numerous facets of being a soccer superstar. It is impossible, in this landscape, to be just a fantastic player, one who pays no attention to the wider obligations of being an elite athlete. At the same time, it's difficult to be a worldwide brand and still be able to perform on the pitch.
This is not, it must be admitted, a harsh task, in relative terms. Being famous isn't that difficult – nor should it require the empathy of the average fan.
But in MLS, there is a specific expectation placed on the guys who make the most money. This may be a far more stable league than it used to be, but it still leans heavily on stars and marquee signings. Yet at the same time, this country is no longer naive enough to be fooled by poor performances.
In other words, superstardom is now about elite performance and public relations, from media obligations to helping the marketing and social media arms of a club to enhance the brand. You have to be able to do both.
Historically, few have been able to do it. Sure, Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibhrahmovic and Thierry Henry all played good footy and answered questions after full time. But that was a different league back then. There was still a bit of anonymity. And, in all honesty, fewer people were watching.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportSon, who signs autographs
Last week, Son and the LAFC squad walked out of the team hotel in San Jose, California. Metal barricades were up, and fans in LAFC, Spurs and Korea jerseys stood behind them. Many pleaded for signatures of their shirts. One fan handed him a photo book. Selfie requests ran rampant. And Son took every second to sign every last one.
It was a ruthlessly efficient scene, captured on social media. But it was also quite a novel in this era, a superstar taking the time to interact with fans – seven hours from his home stadium. Some would have gotten straight onto the team bus. Others might have taken one or two photos and waved a brisk goodbye. Yet Son took the time.
And so what? Guy signs autographs. This is what we expect of our heroes, right? They are supposed to do these things.
The reality, of course, is that many of them don't – especially in American soccer. And Son is certainly, quite comfortably, the second most famous footballer in MLS. No one will ever catch Lionel Messi. The Argentine gets his own stratosphere.
But Son has nearly 15 million Instagram followers. He has deals with Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Gillette and Samsung, among others. He is almost certainly the most famous Asian footballer on the planet. The symbolism is visceral – so much bigger than everyone else, so unattainable, yet taking any time for anything.
"He plays the game the right way. He's open and honest with the media. He gives great answers. He's always got a smile on his face," former USMNT midfielder Sacha Kljestan told GOAL.
Getty Images SportVery, very good at football
Then again, we were all told that this would be likely. Son is, well, a good bloke. He is the smiliest man in football, the definition of a nice guy. He has certainly profited from the brand of being a good dude. And truth be told, it seems rather genuine. Even if it is impressive, Son's good nature is no real surprise.
What might be, though, is just how good he has been for LAFC – and so quickly. The stats make for fine reading: six matches (five of them starts), five goals, one assist. He is averaging a goal contribution every 77 minutes – a mark bested only by Messi in MLS.
And then there's the less tangible stuff. Son presses. Son runs the channels. Son makes the off ball movements that he knows won't lead to a pass, just to draw the attention of others. He creates spaces by being there alone.
He is scoring different kinds of goals, too. His first was a wonderful free kick, curled in from 30 yards – only the second set piece goal of his entire career. His second was a tap in at the far post.
But his hat-trick in Wednesday night's win was most emblematic of his career. He bagged the first with a classic dart in behind the defense. He received a pass on the run, burned a defender, and tucked home. The second was a whipped, snarling thing into the bottom corner from 25 yards. And the third was a weak foot finish off a Denis Bouanga feed.
Getty Images SportHow LAFC benefit
This is all rather good for LAFC, who have quietly done a wonderful job of overhauling their side. They endured a poor start to the season. Olivier Giroud was misfiring, and failing to work in Steve Cherundolo's system. It was widely assumed that they might sign Antoine Griezmann to make it all work. He committed his long term future to Atletico Madrid. Son was the unexpected answer.
And what an answer he has been. LAFC have lost just one of his six games. Either he or Bounaga have combined for of the team's last 10 goals. The are more fluid, better balanced. And, in all honesty, they're more watchable. Soccer is a product, and LAFC, in signing Son, have created a pretty good one.
Another key element here is the way that Son seems to have taken to his teammates. These are the little glimpses into life that suggest something resembling harmony. When asked about his own performance Wednesday, Son swiftly went about thanking seemingly every single member of the LAFC team before acknowledging that he, too, had played quite a good game.
He and Bouanga do each other's celebrations. There are Instagram selifes, and lockerroom celebrations.
"He'll play the right pass over taking the shot," former USMNT star Maurice Edu told GOAL. "He'll find ways to bring his team into the game. His body language and all that. His demeanor doesn't come across as whiny and complaining. It's more like, 'OK, how do I get my team motivated?' And those are valuable traits to have from a superstar."
