Son Heung-min headlines South Korea squad for Asian Cup
(ATTN: ADDS comments, photos, details)
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Yonhap) — South Korea will take a star-studded squad to Qatar in their quest to end a decadeslong championship drought at the top Asian men’s football tournament next month.
Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann announced his 26-man squad for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup on Thursday. The Taegeuk Warriors will try to win the country’s first Asian Cup title since 1960.
The tournament kicks off in Qatar on Jan. 12.
There were few surprises for the team, which will be captained by Tottenham Hotspur talisman Son Heung-min, among the Premier League leaders this season with 11 goals.
Fellow Premier League player Hwang Hee-chan, who netted two goals for Wolverhampton Wanderers to reach 10 for the season Wednesday, will also travel to Qatar. The attacking corps will feature Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, one of South Korea’s top playmakers.
Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-jae will lead the backline for Klinsmann, alongside the reigning K League 1 most valuable player, Kim Young-gwon of Ulsan HD FC.
Kim Ji-soo, a 19-year-old defender for Brentford, will be the youngest South Korean player at the Asian Cup.
In this file photo from Nov. 22, 2023, South Korean players celebrate after scoring against China during the teams’ Group C match in the second round of the Asian World Cup qualification tournament at Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre in Shenzhen, China. (Yonhap)
South Korea will be the highest-ranked nation in Group E at No. 23.
They will open the competition against Bahrain (No. 86) on Jan. 15, and will then play Jordan (No. 87) on Jan. 20 and Malaysia (No. 130) on Jan. 25. All three South Korean matches in the group stage will begin at 2:30 p.m. (local time), or 8:30 p.m. (Seoul time).
Reiterating his oft-stated goal of winning the Asian Cup, Klinsmann said his team will be “one of the favorites” at the tournament because of their versatility.
“We have a lot of different pieces in this roster,” the coach said. “I think what we need to do is to fine-tune these elements in the next couple of weeks and go into that tournament with confidence. We have the willingness to win the title.”
With many of South Korea’s key players thriving in Europe, Klinsmann said he had “a good feeling” about his team’s chances in Qatar.
“You want your players to peak exactly at the time when the tournament happens. I have a good feeling because they’re doing well at the clubs, they’re healthy, they’re fit, they’re ambitious and they’re hungry,” he said. “This is foundation for playing a good tournament. When the tournament starts, it all needs to fall into places and you need a bit of luck, too. It’s all about timing and I think we’re ready for this big, big competition.”
As for the 64-year drought, Klinsmann said, “It is a long time for Korea. It’s about time we get this done.”
Jurgen Klinsmann, head coach of the South Korean men’s national football team, speaks at a press conference announcing his 26-man team for the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup at CGV Yongsan in Seoul on Dec. 28, 2023. (Yonhap)
There are six groups of four nations, and the top two teams from each group, plus the four best third-place teams, will qualify for the knockout stage.
Klinsmann’s team will depart for Abu Dhabi next Tuesday to set up training camp there and will play Iraq in their final tuneup match on Jan. 6 in the United Arab Emirates capital.
Iraq will play in Group D. If South Korea win their group and Iraq finish as the runners-up in theirs, then the two countries will clash in the round of 16 on Jan. 31.
South Korea will hop over to Qatar on Jan. 10.
Klinsmann opened an indoor training camp Tuesday, with 11 players from the domestic K League joined by a handful of players from overseas. The likes of Son and Lee will join the rest of the team in Abu Dhabi next week.
Lee Jae-sung, midfielder for the South Korean men’s national football team, poses for pictures after being named to the 26-man team for the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup at CGV Yongsan in Seoul on Dec. 28, 2023. (Yonhap)
The following is the list of players selected to the South Korean men’s national team for the Asian Cup, with their clubs in parentheses.
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Al-Shabab FC), Song Bum-keun (Shonan Bellmare), Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan HD FC)
Defenders: Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan HD FC), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan HD FC), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Jung Seung-hyun (Ulsan HD FC), Kim Ju-sung (FC Seoul), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), Seol Young-woo (Ulsan HD FC), Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung Bluewings)
Midfielders: Park Yong-woo (Al Ain FC), Hwang In-beom (Crvena zvezda), Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Gent), Lee Soon-min (Gwangju FC), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz 05), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Jeong Woo-yeong (VfB Stuttgart), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Moon Seon-min (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic FC)
Leave a Reply