United States men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino was full of praise for his former Tottenham Hotspur player and recent LAFC signing Son Heung-Min, stating that the South Korea international will "help in the evolution" of MLS.
Son, who spent 10 years at Tottenham -- four of them under Pochettino -- joined LAFC in August for a record MLS fee for an incoming player at $26 million.
The 33-year-old, who has 51 goals in 134 appearances at international level, will lead South Korea against Pochettino's USMNT in a friendly at t Harrison, New Jersey's Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday.
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"Amazing opportunity to see each other, we really love each other, was a very important player, one of the most important players in my period at Tottenham," Pochettino said in his pregame news conference on Friday.
"What he is going to add to MLS, I think he's this type of player that's going to help in the evolution of the game."
Heading into Saturday's match against the U.S., Son has amassed a goal and assist in his first four appearances with LAFC.
As for Pochettino and company, the coach reiterated on Friday that he wants to move past a summer saga that appeared to highlight a rift between himself and captain Christian Pulisic after the star's absence from the Gold Cup.
Pulisic cited fatigue for not playing in the Gold Cup, adding that Pochettino had denied the star's request to only play in two pre-tournament friendlies. Pochettino responded by saying that he was the one to make decisions about who played, adding, "I am not a mannequin."
"For me, it's in the past, these type of things that happen ... we all make mistakes, sometimes because we read the situation in a different way," said the Argentine coach Friday.
"Christian is happy to be here, of course he's an important player for us and ... the mood is good."
After taking on the South Korea, the U.S. will face Japan in another friendly in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday as the team continues its preparations for next year's World Cup on home soil.