*This content was translated by AI.
It has been confirmed that Los Angeles FC’s flagship forward, Son Heung-min (34), will play his first official match of the new year in 2026.
Son Heung-min’s LAFC team will face Real España (Honduras) in the first round of the 2026 North China Caribbean Football Association (CONCACAF) Champions Cup at the Francisco Morasán Stadium in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, at 12 pm on the 18th (Korean time).
Son Heung-min, who held the ace position in his first challenge on the US stage last year, will start in LAFC’s first official match in 2026.
Son Heung-min will attack the central striker in a 4-3-3 formation against Real España. Dennis Buanga and David Martínez are on both bands.
Marco Delgado, Timothy Tillman and Stephen Eustachio will play in midfield. Sergiy Palencia, Nkosi Tapari, Ryan Porteous and Eddie Segura are in charge of the quartet, while Hugo Lloris is in charge of goal.
The North American Caribbean Soccer Confederation Champions Cup is a club competition that holds the highest authority in North and Central America. The winning team will be eligible to participate in the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. A total of 27 teams from the United States, Mexico and Honduras will participate in the home-and-away tournament.
If LAFC wins the first and second games, they will face the powerful Alahuelense of Costa Rica in the round of 16.
Son Heung-min, who wore the LAFC uniform last season, showed a phenomenal performance right after joining the team. Including nine goals and three assists in 10 regular league and playoff games, he showed his overwhelming scoring ability with 12 goals and four assists in 13 games. In fact, since joining Son Heung-min, LAFC has had nine wins, four draws and two losses, raising its ranking to third place in the Western Conference.
The synergy with colleagues was also unrivaled. Forward Buanga and his team have rewritten the history of Major League Soccer (MLS). Since joining Son Heung-min, the two players have combined for 18 consecutive goals, breaking the league record for most consecutive goals scored. Local mainstream media such as “One Football” praised Son Heung-min, saying, “He didn’t need much time to prove himself to match the record fee,” adding, “It’s much more impressive that he raised the value of his colleagues around him to the next level than simply the record appearing in numbers.”
The destructive power of the off-field box office was also beyond imagination. According to LAFC general manager John Torrington, Son Heung-min’s uniform was counted as the best-selling uniform in the world in the week after the transfer. The highest transfer fee in league history of $26.5 million (about 35 billion won) has reached a considerable value.
Starting with the Honduran expedition, LAFC faces a tremendous schedule. After playing the opening match of the league against Inter Miami on the 22nd, they must immediately continue with their second match of the Champions Cup against Real España on the 25th.
The opposing team, Real España, is a traditional powerhouse with a record of 12 victories in the Honduran league. In the last six league games they remain undefeated with four wins and two draws, leading the league alone.
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*This content was translated by AI.
