'It's all on me': Son Heung-min laments missed penalty after LAFC's playoff elimination
Son Heung-min of Los Angeles Football Club reacts to his team's loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the Western Conference semifinal of the Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday. AFP-Yonhap
Son Heung-min grabbed Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) by their collar and dragged them into extra time and then the penalty shootout in a Major League Soccer (MLS) playoff showdown against Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
However, the Korean superstar couldn't quite get his club over the finish line, as he missed his spot kick in a crushing loss in the Western Conference semifinals at BC Place in Vancouver on Saturday (local time).
LAFC trailed 2-0 at halftime after managing just one shot attempt in the opening 45 minutes. Son put his team on the board at the hour mark and netted the equalizer with a curling free kick during stoppage time to erase that two-goal deficit.
The 30-minute extra session solved nothing, sending the match into the penalties. Son stepped up as the first kicker for LAFC but struck the right post, while goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka dove in the opposite direction.
Two of LAFC's first three kickers failed to score, allowing Vancouver to prevail 4-3 in the shootout and reach the conference final.
Though Son singlehandedly kept LAFC's hope alive with his brace, the forward put the loss on himself afterward.
"It's all on me. I have to take this responsibility," Son said in his postmatch presser. "The players did everything they could, and I am very proud (of them). This is on me, and we move on, and next season, I hope we can come back stronger than ever."
Son joined LAFC in August following 10 seasons with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. He made an instant impact, turning his club into a force to be reckoned with on the field and into a must-see attraction wherever they played.
He finished his first partial season in MLS with 12 goals in 13 matches, counting both the regular season and the playoffs. Son said he enjoyed "every single moment" as a member of LAFC, and thanked his teammates and club staff for welcoming him.
"As I settled into a new league surrounded by new players, I was able to grow both as a football player and as a person," Son said. "I've received so much love and support from a lot of people, and it made me realize I have to carry myself responsibly."
On the other hand, Son was in no mood to bask in the glow of his accomplishments.
"We're talking about the impact, but in the end, I'm here to win trophies for the club," he said. "Today, we were not successful, but next year, I want to make sure that we are successful in every competition. It's a very disappointing day, but next year, we'll come back stronger than ever."
Son, who played in two international matches for Korea earlier this month before rejoining LAFC just days before the playoff match, admitted he dealt with a leg cramp in the final moments of the extra period.
"I didn't have a good feeling, but I tried to step up. I always like to step up in a big moment, and I work for that," Son said. "When I tried to shoot the penalty, in the last moment, I felt the cramp again, and it was not as accurate as I wanted."
The missed opportunity aside, LAFC's outgoing head coach Steve Cherundolo said it was "a pleasure" to coach Son.
"I don't want to get greedy, but it would have been great to have him at the beginning of the season. I think we would have a different conversation now," said Cherundolo, who will return to Germany, where he spent his entire 16-year playing career, after this season. "He's a world-class player. He's not just a good player, but he also makes the players around him better. I think he's one of those players that I might stay in touch with."