South Korea defeats the U.S. 2-0 in pre-World Cup friendly

HARRISON, N.J. — Son Heung-min scored in the 18th minute and set up Lee Donggyeong’s 43rd minute finish to give South Korea a 2-0 victory over the United States on Saturday in a pre-World Cup friendly at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Son opened the scoring after running behind the U.S. defense to latch onto a through pass from Lee Jae-sung and fire a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Matt Freese. The visitors doubled their lead when Son combined with Lee Jae-sung and tumbled as the ball ran to Lee Donggyeong, who backheeled the finish into an empty net. South Korea goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo kept a clean sheet as the visitors controlled the first half and limited clear American chances.

The match was notable for its partisan atmosphere, with most of the reported crowd of about 26,500 supporting South Korea, a factor U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino referenced after the game. Son, who played under Pochettino at Tottenham, now has 52 international goals and is closing in on the South Korean record, according to match reports.

The United States, featuring a mixture of established players and newcomers, created opportunities but lacked finishing. The Americans registered 17 attempts and five...