Son Heung-Min made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut for Los Angeles FC (LAFC) Saturday and caused an outburst of energy as a second half replacement in a 2-2 draw with the fire in Chicago.
Son was brought down for a penalty in the 77th minute-var confirmed the Spot kick after the referee had allowed to continue-that Denis Bouanga converted to achieve a draw in the 81st minute.
«It was a great pass. It was clear that it was absolute contact and it was absolutely a penalty, I have no doubt about it,» said Son, who was sent by Carlos Teran after he had raced with the goal in his sights.
«A bit disappointed not to get three points, but I think everyone makes a lot of effort. (I am) happy that I made my debut and I hope the goals will come soon.»
The former captain Tottenham also had a series of shots on goal, including a blocked in the second half injury time.
The Ster Zuid -Korea signed on Wednesday at Lafc for a reported MLS record USD 26 million after a decade with Spurs in the Premier League, where he became a household name.
Son gets no chance to play for home fans in Los Angeles before 31 August, when leaders of the Western conference San Diego will be visitors.
But around the Seatgeek stage of the fire, there were many fans who wore his sweaters, wave in South Korean flags and signs that the son welcomed to MLS.
Cheers greeted his entry instead of David Martinez in the 61st minute with the team level at 1-1.
Related: One of the largest partnerships in Premier League-Kany pays tribute to son Heung-Min after Spurs Exit
Jonathan Bamba placed Chicago 2-1 ahead in the 70th minute and pressed again when Brian Gutierrez’s shot bounced and Lafc grip the rebound.
Nathan Ordaz played the ball forward for Son to race away. He had a first MLS target in his sights when he was brought down.
Due to the punishment, Lafc made it the same for the second time.
Carlos Teran had opened the score for the fire in the 11th minute with a header from a corner.
Eight minutes later, Ryan Hollingshead nodded inside to bring it 1-1.
Son had said during his introductory press conference – attended by fixtures, including mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass – that he felt fit and «wanted to get to the field as quickly as possible.
He gets his next chance when Lafc, who increases a place to the fifth in the Western Conference, will visit the New England revolution next Saturday.
«It was quite 30 minutes in my legs, so yes, ready for next week,» Son said.
«So we will see how I am going to progress with the training sessions and the players, and we will see (if) next week I can start the game and have a big impact.»
