There’s no place like home.
Son Heung-Min returned to Los Angeles in style on Sunday evening, scoring his first LAFC goal at BMO Stadium to help spark a 4-1 victory over Real Salt Lake.
"Scoring goals away from home or home is a [great] honor, but when you score at home in a packed stadium, it makes it very special," the South Korean superstar said postgame.
"I’m glad in my second home game I scored and also won the game … Today was a fantastic evening."
Fantastic form
The MLS-record signing has now scored in three straight matches. He has six goals in seven games with LAFC, continuing momentum from his hat trick in a 4-1 win midweek at RSL.
"I think scoring goals in front of the packed stadium is really special," said Son, who added two assists to his leading performance Sunday.
"I wanted to [be] playing with the fans together. Especially when you’re 1-0 down, you need big support from [the] supporters from behind us. I think they did a fantastic job and also afterward, our performance, our energy went really up. Obviously, scoring four goals in front of the packed stadium – it was a joy."
The strong connection Son has built with LA's large contingent of Korean supporters only seems to be growing by the game.
"With the big Korean community, I think it's obviously very, very helpful that [they're] coming to the stadium [as] your biggest supporter," the Tottenham Hotspur icon shared. "It feels very special [as a] player. Obviously, I want to always give something back, also the results and also the happiness."
Son continued: "I would never expect, to be honest, that welcoming or that support. It seems quite, very crazy, but I love that. That's why we love football and that's why we love being footballers."
DP duo
Since debuting six weeks ago, Son has formed one of the most lethal partnerships in MLS with fellow Designated Player Denis Bouanga.
Combining for Bouanga's first two goals of the match, the forwards created more history by making LAFC the first team in MLS history to have a player record a hat trick in three consecutive matches.
"The chemistry was pretty natural. It's easy to find Sonny on the pitch," said Bouanga, who became the first player in MLS history with three straight seasons with at least 20 goals.
"The chemistry that we have will be built on together, and you will see it again."
Mutual respect
On a night when the Black & Gold honored club legend Carlos Vela as the first inductee into the LAFC Ring of Honor, Son felt inspired to join the Mexican superstar as a future club icon.
"Even [when] I was in Europe, I was watching some of the clips when he was playing for this club," Son said of the 2019 Landon Donovan MLS MVP.
"He did a fantastic job for this club. He's always welcome to the club, and the fans love him and the club loves him. It was good to see him on the pitch and everybody was happy to see him. One day, I want to be like him as well. When I'm retiring, when I come back to LA, I hope everybody welcomes me like this."
