The U.S. men’s national team’s first match after the CONCACAF Gold Cup ended in losing fashion.
South Korea defeated the Americans 2-0 at Sports Illustrated Arena on Saturday afternoon thanks to first-half goals from Son Heung-Min and Dong-Gyeong Lee.
It marked the Americans’ second-straight loss and their sixth against a Top-25 nation in the past eight attempts.
Son broke the deadlock in the 19th minute after being brilliantly down the left flank by Jae-Sung Lee. The former Tottenham forward celebrated his 52nd international goal, coming back to haunt his former boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Gyeong Lee would double South Korea’s lead before halftime after a nice 1-2 from Son and Sung Lee led to Geyong tapping home. Son pushed a pass past Matt Freese but watched as Gyeong finished off the play for a 2-0 lead.
The USMNT created several scoring opportunities late in the match but South Korea goalkeeper Hyeon-Woo Jo was up to the task. Jo denied Chris Richards’ effort in the 73rd minute before also repelling fellow substitute Folarin Balogun twice in stoppage time.
Jo also received help from his crossbar as the 33-year-old held on for the shutout.
The loss marked the USMNT’s sixth home loss of 2025, making only the fourth time in which the program has lost six home matches or more in a single year.
Pochettino’s squad will close out their September schedule on Sept. 10 in Columbus, Ohio against Japan.
Larry Henry Jr
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