Will a 'Korean Derby' be realized between MLS superstar Son Heung-min and Jeong Sang-bin?

EPL's Hwang Hee-chan aims for his first win against Tottenham, breaking their winless streak against the club.

Son Heung-min [AFP=Yonhap News]  

With superstar Son Heung-min shaking up Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States, attention is focused on whether a 'Korean Derby' will take place in the US as he continues his scoring streak.

Son Heung-min's club, LAFC, will face St. Louis City SC, where national teammate Jeong Sang-bin plays, in an away MLS regular season match on the 28th at 9:30 AM (Korean time) at Energizer Park in St. Louis, Missouri.

Son Heung-min, who has scored 6 goals in 7 games since joining the team, showing explosive scoring form, is likely to play in the next match.

LAFC has demonstrated an increasingly unstoppable offense since Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga of Gabon began forming a 'striker duo'.

The pair have combined for a staggering 12 goals during the team's recent three-game winning streak. After Bouanga scored a hat-trick against the San Jose Earthquakes on the 3rd, Son Heung-min responded with a hat-trick of his own against Real Salt Lake on the 18th, showcasing fantastic chemistry.

On the 22nd, Bouanga scored another hat-trick in a return match against Real Salt Lake, while Son Heung-min contributed one goal and one assist.

LAFC, led by the unstoppable 'Heung-Bu Duo', is currently ranked fourth in the Western Conference.

Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min (from left) celebrating [AFP=Yonhap News]  

Jeong Sang-bin's St. Louis is trailing in 11th place, but they have been on an upward trend with two wins and one draw in their last three games.

Jeong Sang-bin missed the previous away game against the San Jose Earthquakes, but he has a strong chance of playing in this home match.

Since transferring to St. Louis in July, he immediately established himself as a key player, starting in five consecutive matches. He has only missed two games: one on the 7th which overlapped with the September international break, and the recent away match.

Jeong Sang-bin, who has now spent three seasons in the United States, was recently called up to the senior national team this month, his first call-up in about four years since June 2021 when Paulo Bento was in charge.

Jeong Sang-bin expressed his anticipation in a training video for the September international friendlies released on the Korea Football Association's official YouTube channel, stating, "I'll be playing against Heung-min hyung at the end of September. For me, Heung-min hyung is more important than Messi."

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the club of the national team's 'young gun' Lee Kang-in, will play an away match against Auxerre in the 6th round of Ligue 1 on the 28th at 4:05 AM at Parc des Princes in Paris, France.

Lee Kang-in [Reuters=Yonhap News]  

Lee Kang-in is in a position where he needs to prove his match fitness and touch to solidify his place in the starting lineup through this game.

Last season, amid fierce competition within the team, he was gradually pushed to the bench and mostly came on as a substitute. This season, he has yet to show a significant performance.

In PSG's first official match last month, the 2025 UEFA Super Cup against Tottenham Hotspur (England), he came on as a substitute in the second half and scored a consolation goal, his first of the season. However, he has not registered any further attacking contributions since then.

In the English Premier League (EPL), Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers will face Tottenham, the club Son Heung-min left, on the 28th at 4:00 AM.

Currently, Wolverhampton has not secured a single win since the start of the league and remains at the bottom of the table with 0 points.

Hwang Hee-chan, who made only 25 appearances last season due to frequent injuries, has been gradually increasing his playing time this season, appearing in 6 out of 7 official matches.

He scored his first goal of the season in the home match against Everton in the 3rd round of the 2025-2026 EPL on the 31st of last month. This was 8 months after his last goal against Tottenham in the 19th round of the 2024-2025 EPL on December 30th of last year.

Tottenham, currently in 3rd place in the league with 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss this season, is not an easy opponent, but football is a sport where upsets are always possible. Attention is focused on whether Hwang Hee-chan can contribute to his team's first league victory. Yonhap News

Hwang Hee-chan [Reuters=Yonhap News]