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CHICAGO: South Korea star Son Heung-min made his Major League Soccer debut for Los Angeles FC Saturday, providing a burst of energy as a second-half substitute in a 2-2 draw with the Fire in Chicago.
Son drew a penalty in the 77th minute that new teammate Denis Bouanga converted to clinch the draw in the 81st minute — VAR confirming the spot kick after the referee initially let play continue.
“Obviously it was definitely contact and it was definitely a penalty, I have no doubt about it,” said Son, who was sent sprawling in the area by Carlos Teran after getting loose on a breakaway.
“And, yeah, we tied the game, but I think we should have won this game (so) a little bit disappointed.”
In addition to drawing the penalty, Son had three shots on goal — all saved with relative ease by Fire keeper Chris Brady.
Son signed with LAFC on Wednesday for a reported MLS record $26 million transfer fee after a decade with Tottenham in the Premier League — where he became a household name.
The South Korea captain had announced just the previous Saturday in his homeland that he would be leaving Spurs.
He departed as Tottenham’s fifth-highest goalscorer of all time with 173 goals in 454 appearances.
Son’s first chance to play in front of home fans in Los Angeles will come against Western Conference leaders San Diego on August 31.
But plenty of his jerseys, South Korean flags and signs welcoming him to MLS were dotted around the Fire’s SeatGeek Stadium and cheers greeted his entry in place of David Martinez in the 61st minute with the teams level at 1-1
Jonathan Bamba put Chicago up 2-1 in the 70th minute. Teran had opened the scoring in the 11th with a header off a corner kick.
Eight minutes later Ryan Hollingshead nodded in off a corner kick to pull LAFC level at 1-1.
Son had said at his introductory press conference on Wednesday that he felt fighting fit and wanted to get on the pitch “as soon as possible.”
His arrival reunites him with former Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris, the French goalkeeper who said the South Korean will make a “big impact.”
“It’s great for the league, great for the city, great for the club,” Lloris said.

Liverpool’s Uruguay forward Darwin Nunez has joined ����ֱ��’s Al-Hilal from the Premier League champions on a three-year deal, both clubs said on Saturday.
Financial details of the transfer were not disclosed but British media reported that the Saudi club paid 53 million euros ($61.69 million) plus add-ons that could take the final price tag up to 56.6 million pounds for the 26-year-old.
“Al-Hilal Club Company is pleased to announce the signing of Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez from Liverpool FC on a three-year contract,” Al-Hilal said on their website.
“Nunez has just joined the squad during the current pre-season training camp in Germany,” Al-Hilal added.

Nunez joined Liverpool in June 2022 from Benfica for an initial fee of 75 million euros but struggled for consistency, with 40 goals and 26 assists in 143 games in all competitions.
The striker found himself on the fringes of the first team during Liverpool’s title-winning campaign last season, starting only eight league matches and netting five times.
His departure will help finance Liverpool’s outlay of almost 300 million pounds so far for the 2025-26 season.
They have already signed Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz for a club-record fee of up to 116 million pounds and French forward Hugo Ekitike for 69 million plus add-ons.
Al-Hilal, under former Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi, became the first Asian club to defeat a Premier League side in an official match when they beat Manchester City at the Club World Cup last month.
Inzaghi’s new side are aiming to secure a record-extending 20th league title this season, having finished second in the Saudi Pro League last term. Their other high-profile signing of the transfer window was Theo Hernandez from AC Milan.