South Field friendly checks off bucket-list item for soccer fans in Utah — of both Korea, El Salvador

PROVO — When Tate Harrison returned from her two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Korea, she thought her days cheering on the Korea Republic national team might be left to the couch, a television screen, or another international trip.

She'd make it, though.

"Sonny is my favorite player," she said of South Korean superstar Son Heung-min who now plays in MLS with LAFC.

But her favorite player showed up about a block away from her apartment.

Son and the Taegeuk Warriors finished off their second of a pair of international friendly matches Wednesday with a 1-0 win over El Salvador, part of a weeklong training exercise to prepare the Korea Republic for what they will face when Group A play begins next Thursday in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Reds trained at Real Salt Lake's training facilities across Sandy and Herriman, and played two friendlies against CONCACAF opponents at 4,551 feet above sea level.

The hope is the extra time at altitude will provide an advantage when they kick off June 11 at 8 p.m. MDT against Czechia in Guadalajara (elevation: 5,138 feet).

Korea will play two matches in Guadalajara, with the third group match against South Africa staged at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe — just 1,640 feet above sea level.

But for Harrison, the hope was just to take a picture with Son in the background.

"I was on Cloud 9," the recent Utah Valley University graduate said. "I have way too many videos on my phone; this is the best experience ever.

"I never thought I'd have this good of seats to see the national team," she added.

After out-shooting El Salvador 6-3 in the first half, including the only three shots on target, Lee Dong-gyeong scored off a free kick in the 57th minute for the only goal of the match.

That didn't hinder the excitement of the El Salvador fans, many of whom came from miles away to watch the 100th-ranked La Selecta against the heavily favored Reds.

"I never thought that this would be possible," said Jesus Guardado, an Ogden resident who was born in San Salvador. "I thought that I'd have to travel far away. I'm so happy to be here, but it's always the same."

Hispanic or Latino residents account for more than 15% of Utah's population, according to numbers from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah.

According to a detailed analysis of Latino groups in 2024, Salvadorans are the third-most commonly identified Hispanic population in the state behind Mexico and Spain.

"We're a big country, and a lot of people have moved from there to the States — and to here, in Utah," said Jose Smart, a BYU student from San Salvador. "There are a lot of Latinos here, and it's cool to see the community come together and support La Selecta."

Not all of the more than 14,400 Salvadoran residents in Utah came to BYU's South Field as part of the sellout crowd of more than 3,400. But plenty did, and they made their voices heard as they sang and chanted in a sea of blue jerseys.

"The passion is everything," Guardado said in Spanish. "But it's always the same; we give everything, and then end up losing. I hope that things change."

Similar to Harrison, Smart didn't think he'd get a chance to see La Selecta when he enrolled at BYU. But as soon as BYU announced the friendly, he jumped at the chance.

He just jumped a little too late, as tickets sold out in less than a day.

"I had to get resell," he said while waiting to catch a glimpse of Son and Korea with his Salvadoran friends. "But it's still pretty cool."

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