The absence of Son Heung-min from a recent away match with Los Angeles FC has sparked debate among Korean American fans.
Thousands of Korean fans from across the U.S. traveled long distances—by car, plane, and train—to attend the match, only to find that Son was not present, not even on the bench.
LAFC faced the Portland Timbers in their seventh regular-season game of the Major League Soccer 2026 season on April 11 in Oregon. As is customary, the club released its starting lineup and substitutes about an hour before kickoff. However, Son’s name was absent from both lists.
Earlier, on April 10, LAFC posted photos on its official Instagram account showing players boarding a flight for the away match. Son was not seen in the images. The club typically shares travel photos for every away game, and there had been no prior instances of Son missing from such posts. Social media users also claimed that Son was not seen at the team hotel in Portland.
These details suggest that Son did not merely miss the match but did not travel with the team at all. As the news spread, disappointment grew among some Korean fans, particularly within the Korean community in Portland.
One Korean American, believed to reside in Oregon, wrote on Threads on April 11, “My son and husband bought tickets months in advance to see Son Heung-min play, and many Koreans in Oregon were looking forward to it.” Another user (ID: ace****) commented, “About 3,000 Korean fans gathered to see Son. Even if he wasn’t going to play, he should have at least shown up.” Another fan said they had taken a train from Washington state to attend the match.
However, many others argued that it is unreasonable to place blame on the player. One Threads user (good****) wrote, “From head coach Mark Dos Santos’ perspective, Son may have been left out to focus on the upcoming CONCACAF Champions Cup match midweek. It’s not appropriate to criticize him for not showing up just because thousands of Korean fans were in Portland.” Another user (play****) added, “It’s understandable that fans are disappointed, but expecting him to play and criticizing him for not doing so goes too far.”
Meanwhile, LAFC, which had been unbeaten this season, suffered its first loss of the campaign, falling 1-2 to Portland.
