LOS ANGELES (AP) — Son Heung-min agreed to a contract with Los Angeles FC on Tuesday, finalizing his move to Major League Soccer after a decade at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 33-year-old South Korean superstar forward is joining LAFC three days after he formally announced his decision to leave Tottenham.
Son attended LAFC’s Leagues Cup match against Tigres at BMO Stadium on Tuesday night, watching from a luxury suite. LAFC will formally introduce Son at a news conference Wednesday, but the club showed the forward on the stadium video board late in the first half as he waved to roaring fans thrilled by their team's landmark acquisition.
LAFC, a deep-pocketed club with significant team success in its first eight seasons of existence, reportedly paid a transfer fee of more than $20 million, which could end up being the most ever for an MLS move.
Son was a beloved presence at Spurs, scoring 173 goals in 454 competitive appearances for the North London club while rising to global prominence with his combination of speed, playmaking skill and finishing acumen.
The captain was given a memorable farewell last week in Seoul during Tottenham’s exhibition match against Newcastle, getting a guard of honor from both teams and tearfully exiting in the second half while nearly 65,000 fans roared.
But South Korea’s most popular athlete — and almost certainly the greatest Asian soccer player in history — has chosen an auspicious stage for the next chapter of his groundbreaking career.
Los Angeles has the world’s largest ethnic Korean population outside Korea, with the city’s vibrant Koreatown district sitting just a couple of miles from LAFC’s BMO Stadium.
LAFC is undoubtedly hoping to market Son as a soccer counterpart to the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, albeit on a smaller scale. Ohtani, the three-time MLB MVP from Japan who is on a trajectory to become the greatest Asian player in baseball history, draws fans from across the Pacific Rim to Dodger Stadium while attracting millions in sponsorships and partnerships for the Dodgers.
Son’s move to California also puts him in position to make an impact on and off the field at the World Cup, which will be held across North America in 2026. Son, the captain of his national team, already has said he will play in his fourth World Cup.
After leading Tottenham to its first European trophy in decades by winning the Europa League in May in a fitting cap to his English career, Son will go straight into the MLS Cup race when suits up for his new club. LAFC currently sits sixth in the Western Conference at 10-6-6, but with multiple games in hand on every team in front of it because of its participation in the Club World Cup.
Son’s seven Premier League goals last season were his fewest since his Tottenham debut, but he still appears to have the pace and skill necessary to be a difference-maker at any level. He also turned 33 only a month ago, putting him on the younger end of the global stars recently arriving in MLS.
Lionel Messi and Marco Reus were 35 and Luis Suárez was 37 when they went stateside in recent years, while Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris were both 37 when they joined LAFC last year.
Son will be reunited in Los Angeles with longtime Tottenham teammate Lloris, who has been outstanding since becoming LAFC’s goalkeeper last season.
High-scoring French forward Denis Bouanga is the only designated player currently under contract for LAFC, and general manager John Thorrington has been criticized by some fans for not using the full power of his financial resources this season. LAFC spent months on an ultimately failed attempt to get France’s Antoine Griezmann to leave Atlético Madrid.
Bouanga and Son have both thrived on the left wing during their careers, but Son likely has more positional versatility than Bouanga, making him a candidate to line up in the middle or even on the right wing.
Son seems to be an infinitely better fit for LAFC than Giroud, who moved to Lille last month after one disappointing year in California. LAFC plays a counterattacking, speed-based style that didn’t suit Giroud’s goal-scoring strengths, while Son should be right at home in such a system.
But LAFC also could alter its style in the winter after coach Steve Cherundolo departs for Germany following four largely successful seasons highlighted by an MLS Cup championship.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
FILE - Tottenham's Son Heung-min celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, March 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
FILE - South Korea's Son Heung-min, left, and his teammates celebrate their advance to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals after the Asian qualifier group B match for 2026 World Cup between South Korea and Kuwait at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min reacts after the pre-season friendly match against Newcastle United at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Manchester City issued a huge statement of intent in the race for the Premier League title with a 3-0 win at Chelsea on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola's team moved to within six points of leader Arsenal ahead of next weekend's top of the table clash between the two teams. City also has a game in hand.
Nico O'Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku all scored in a blistering second-half performance at Stamford Bridge as City took full advantage of Arsenal's shock defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday.
“We know that we still have everything in our hands,” Doku said.
Tottenham's survival fight took another blow after a 1-0 loss to Sunderland left it rooted in the relegation zone.
In coach Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge, Spurs fell to a 16th league loss of the season. Its 14-game winless run in the league dates back to Jan. 1.
Nordi Mukiele's deflected shot sealed the game at the Stadium of Light and plunged Tottenham’s campaign deeper into crisis.
Tottenham is two points adrift of safety with six games to go. Its plight wasn't helped by relegation-fighting Nottingham Forest drawing 1-1 with Aston Villa.
Crystal Palace came back from 1-0 down to beat Newcastle 2-1 at Selhurst Park.
While Arsenal's form has hit a slump at the worst possible time, City made it three statement wins in a row after rolling over Chelsea.
Victory followed triumph against Arsenal in the English League Cup final and the 4-0 rout of Liverpool in the FA Cup last week.
While those three results all came in different competitions, City's charge has an ominous feel about it after twice chasing down Arsenal's lead to win the title in 2023 and '24.
Second-placed City has the chance to cut the gap at the top to three points with victory against Arsenal at the Etihad. Guardiola called for respect for Arsenal when looking ahead to that title showdown.
“They have been the best team in this country, in Europe, so far. Beating Arsenal once is so difficult, imagine beating them twice in a few weeks," Guardiola said. “I would like to say to my fans — respect Arsenal a lot, they are an extraordinary team. Come to join us from minute one because the players will do the maximum.”
Rayan Cherki was the inspiration at Stamford Bridge — setting up goals for O'Reilly six minutes after halftime and Guehi in the 57th.
Doku rounded off the win in the 68th.
The result didn't help Chelsea's bid to qualify for the Champions League, leaving it four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool.
Liam Rosenior's team has won just one of its last seven league games.
The numbers just keep on getting worse for Tottenham.
Now on its third coach of the season, it’s more than three months since its last league win and just one point from a possible 24. This was a seventh defeat in eight games.
If the hope was that De Zerbi would provide an immediate bounce in form after replacing Igor Tudor, it didn't come in a typically toothless display at Sunderland.
While the new coach could point to bad luck, given the nature of Mukiele's 61st-minute winner, which took a wicked deflection off Micky van de Ven, his team rarely looked like finding a way back into the match — even during 11 minutes of added time at the end.
An injury to Cristian Romero made a bad day worse for Spurs, which next faces Brighton, one of De Zerbi's former clubs.
Forest moved three points clear of Spurs after a draw at the City Ground. Neco Williams' long-range shot leveled the game after a Murillo own-goal gave Villa the lead.
Jean-Philippe Mateta saw a January move to AC Milan fall through on deadline day and is now having a big say in Palace's bid to end the season on a high.
The France forward scored in Thursday's Conference League win against Fiorentina and hit a double as Palace came back against Newcastle.
Two late goals turned the game at Selhurst Park after William Osula had given Newcastle a halftime lead.
Mateta leveled in the 80th and then fired a winner from the penalty spot in the fourth minute of added time.
Palace leapfrogged Newcastle on goal difference to move up to 13th.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
during the Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester City in London, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly celebrates after scoring during the Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester City in London, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Nottingham Forest's Neco Williams celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League soccer match between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, in Nottingham, England, Sunday April 12, 2026. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta (right) celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle United in London., Sunday April 12, 2026. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)
Sunderland's Nordi Mukiele, centre, scores his side's first goal of the game during the Premier League soccer match between Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur, in Sunderland, England, Sunday April 12, 2026. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
Tottenham Hotspur's Cristian Romero reacts after colliding with his team mate Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky during the Premier League soccer match between Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur, in Sunderland, England, Sunday April 12, 2026. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi during the Premier League match between Tottenham and Sunderland, at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England, Sunday April 12, 2026. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
