USA manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed how Son Heung-min is “like my son” after the pair shared a post-match chat following the South Korea icon’s pivotal role in a 2-0 friendly win for his side in New Jersey on Saturday.
New LAFC signing Son latched on to Lee Jae-Sung’s pass and fired in from a tight angle for the 18th-minute opener before teeing up Lee Dong-Gyeong’s backheeled goal two minutes before half-time.
“He came to say hello,” said Pochettino, who called the Tottenham legend “one of the best strikers in the world” but felt the hosts were the better team despite slipping to a seventh defeat in their last eight matches against opponents inside the top 30 of Fifa’s rankings.
“His English is amazing but he’s learning Spanish. Heung-min Son is like my son.”
Son played under Pochettino between 2014 and 2019 at former club Tottenham, reaching the 2018/19 Champions League final together.
USA vs South Korea: Result ‘difficult’
The USMNT had 17 of the 22 attempts and five of the nine on target between teams who have already reached the 2026 Fifa World Cup in Canada, the US and Mexico.
“We didn’t struggle too much,” said Pochettino. “We [allowed] three shots on target during the first half and conceded two goals.
“We struggled to control the space behind the defensive line for the two moves leading to goals. We were a little bit passive and showed a lack of communication, but that is normal because we have new players.”
The USA’s Matt Freese made a fine save to turn Oh Hyeon-Gyu’s 89th-minute header away, while Folarin Balogun was denied three times by South Korea goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-Woo during second-half added time.
“We fixed things and were better in the second half,” claimed Pochettino. “It was difficult to break down their defensive line.
“They were good because their keeper was the man of the match. The keeper made unbelievable saves. When you lose, it’s difficult to find positives. It’s a bad feeling. But I am happy.”
Son Heung-min: South Korea boss happy
Korea manager Hong Myung-bo praised Son after hinting during the build-up that the 33-year-old’s seven-year captaincy of his country is under scrutiny.
“As our striker and our first line of defense, [he] did a great job leading the team,” said Hong (via KoreaJoongAng Daily), adding that Son “can handle” being used as a winger or striker by Korea.
“I’d like to congratulate him on his goal. This win will serve as a massive boost for our team. For the first time in a while, we played the way we’re capable of playing.
“The players all sacrificed their bodies for this win. From offense to defense, we played such a compact match and executed our plans really well.
“Within our current tactical framework, we are trying to lessen defensive pressure on Son and also allow him to maximize his strengths. The goal he scored was a prime example of that.”
Jens Castrop ‘great help’ for South Korea
Borussia Monchengladbach’s Jens Castrop replaced Son in the 63rd minute after receiving his first call-up following the midfielder’s change of allegiance from Germany being approved by Fifa last month.
Korea is the birth country of the mother of the 22-year-old, who is the first foreign-born player to play for the Taegeuk Warriors.
“Though it was his first match, Castrop executed things he’d worked on pretty well,” said Hong. “I think he will be of great help to the national team.”
USA team vs Korea
Pochettino called up 10 players with fewer than 10 caps each and 12 players from the run to the Gold Cup final.
Some senior stars were left out to spend more time with their clubs, including midfielders Johnny Cardoso – a new Atletico Madrid signing – and Weston McKennie at Juventus.
Defender Sergino Dest started after returning from injury, as did in-form Norwich City forward Josh Sargent, who was back in the squad for the first time since March. Tristan Blackmon also made his senior bow.
The USA face Japan in Ohio on Tuesday (19:30 ET / 16:30 PT / 00:30 on Wednesday BST).
USA starting XI: Matt Freese, Sergino Dest, Sebastian Berhalter, Tim Ream, Max Arfsten, Tyler Adams, Tristan Blackmon, Timothy Weah, Diego Luna, Christian Pulisic, Josh Sargent
USA substitutes: Jonathan Klinsmann, Roman Celentano, Chris Richards, Jack McGlynn, Damion Downs, Luca de la Torre, Alex Freeman, Alex Zendejas, Nathan Harriel, Cristian Roldan
South Korea team vs USMNT
Veteran goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu returned to Korea’s squad for the first time since January 2024 and was on the bench.
Feyenoord and former Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Hwang In-beom was out injured.
South Korea will proceed to meet Mexico in Nashville on Tuesday (21:00 ET / 18:00 PT / 02:00 on Wednesday BST).
They will extend their record of featuring at every edition of the World Cup since 1986, having qualified with a match to spare when they beat Iraq 2-0 in June through goals by Oh and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors’ Kim Jin-gyu.
South Korea starting XI: Jo Hyeon-Woo, Seol Young-Woo, Kim Ju-Sung, Lee Tae-Seok, Min-Jae Kim, Lee Han-Beom, Lee Dong-Gyeong, Paik Seung-Ho, Kim Jin-Gyu, Lee Jae-Sung, Son Heung-Min
South Korea substitutes: Kim Seung-Gyu, Lee Myung-Jae, Park Yong-Woo, Seo Min-Woo, Oh Se-Hun, Song Bum-Keun, Kim Moon-Hwan, Park Jin-Seob, Bae Jun-Ho, Lee Kang-In, Oh Hyeon-Gyu, Byeon Jun-Soo, Jens Castrop, Jeong Sang-Bin, Kim Tae-Hyeon
USA vs Korea stats
- The USA had won two and drawn one of the last three meetings between the teams
- They have now lost three straight friendlies after being beaten 2-1 by Turkiye and 4-0 by Switzerland at home in June
- The USMNT failed to score for the first time in seven matches
- Korea won the fixture for the first time since a 1-0 friendly victory in Seogwipo in 2001
- They had been on a 16-match unbeaten run and sequence of four consecutive wins and clean sheets before a 1-0 defeat to Japan in their most recent match on July 15
- The only occasion on which they have conceded more than one goal in their last 18 matches came in a 3-2 World Cup qualifying win over Iraq last October
- Son scored 10 goals during his nation’s qualifying campaign and has a goal and two assists in four MLS appearances
