FC Seoul looking to reach AFC Champions League semifinals for first time

FC Seoul will look to reach its first semifinals at the top annual Asian club football competition as it readies to host a Saudi Arabian side this week.The South Korean club will bring Al Ahli of the Saudi Professional League to Seoul World Cup Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Wednesday for the second leg of their quarterfinals series at the AFC Champions League.In the first leg played in Saudi Arabia last month, the teams played to a 1-1 draw.The aggregate score after two legs will determine

Sept. 17, 2013

Everton ends Mourinho’s unbeaten return to Chelsea

LONDON (AP) ― Jose Mourinho endured his first Premier League loss since returning to Chelsea, and Manchester City was frustrated in a draw at Stoke.For Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham, however, there were routine victories as the league swung back into action for the first time since the transfer window closed in the international break.Samuel Eto’o failed to make an immediate scoring impact on his Chelsea debut as Steven Naismith gave Everton a 1-0 win.Naismith headed into the net from

Sept. 15, 2013

Nat'l football coach Hong Myung-bo departs for England to check players

National football head coach Hong Myung-bo on Friday departed for England to watch South Koreans in action, saying he will try to watch and meet everyone in the Korean contingent there. Hong is scheduled to return on Sept. 23. In August, he flew to Germany to see three South Korean players in the top-tier Bundesliga.Currently, four South Koreans are with English Premier League sides: Kim Bo-kyung of Cardiff City, Ji Dong-won and Ki Sung-yueng of Sunderland, and Park Chu-young of Arsenal.Two more

Sept. 13, 2013

Italy, Dutch, Argentina, U.S., Costa Rica at WCup

Italy and the Netherlands became the first European teams to qualify for next year's World Cup, and the United States, Costa Rica and Argentina also grabbed spots in the field on Tuesday.Giorgio Chiellini scored in the 51st minute and Mario Balotelli converted a penalty in the 54th, giving Italy a 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Czech Republic in Turin. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon made his 136th international appearance, matching Fabio Cannavaro's Italian record.The Azzurri, a four-time World

Sept. 11, 2013

S. Korea to face depleted Croatia in football friendly

Fresh off a resounding win over Haiti, South Korea will take on a depleted Croatia in their football friendly this week.The match will be held at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul, at 8 p.m. Tuesday. It will be the second meeting this year between the 56th-ranked South Korea and No. 8 Croatia.South Korea defeated Haiti 4-1 last Friday to snap its four-game winless streak under head coach Hong Myung-bo, who took over the national team in June. The four-goal outburst wa

Sept. 9, 2013

Ronaldo scores first international hat trick

Spain, Germany and Italy won to move to the brink of qualifying for next year’s World Cup, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s first international hat trick kept Portugal on course for the tournament in Brazil.The Netherlands needed an injury time penalty kick from Robin van Persie for a 2-2 tie at 85th-ranked Estonia, and England moved atop its group with a 4-0 rout of Moldova as Danny Welbeck scored twice following Steven Gerrard’s first England goal in three years and Rickie Lambert’s second in two gam

Sept. 8, 2013

Korean head coach gives stern advice to Park Chu-young

Hong Myung-bo, a head coach of the South Korean men’s national football team, gave a piece of advice to footballer Park Chu-young, referring to his prolonged absence from professional play.“Park should find a new team first in order to join the national soccer team,” said Hong bluntly in the meeting with reporters on Tuesday.Hong did not call on Park for the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup, as the head of the Korean squad made it clear he would not pick any player who is not active on an established te

Sept. 3, 2013

Arsenal signs Mesut Ozil from Madrid for 50M euros

Arsenal broke its transfer record to sign Mesut Ozil on Monday from Real Madrid after leaving its spending until the last day of the summer transfer window.The 24-year-old Germany playmaker joined for 50 million euros ($66 million) as American owner Stan Kroenke produced an emphatic response to the demands of fans.“Mesut is a top quality footballer who will be a fantastic addition to our talented squad,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.Arsenal has benefited from the ripple effect of Madrid sp

Sept. 3, 2013

Korea opens training camp ahead of friendlies

PAJU (Yonhap News) ― South Korean men’s football team opened its training camp on Monday ahead of two friendly matches scheduled for this month, as players braced themselves for competition for playing time.Coached by Hong Myung-bo, South Korea will host Haiti at 8 p.m. on Friday at Incheon Football Stadium, just west of Seoul. Then on Sept. 10, Croatia will visit Jeonju World Cup Stadium, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul, also for an 8 p.m. kickoff. His team will prepare for the matches at t

Sept. 2, 2013

Ji denies report of Germany move

South Korean footballer Ji Dong-won of English club Sunderland on Monday denied a report of his impending move to Hamburger SV in Germany.On its Twitter post, Sunderland News, which provides news about the city, said Ji will undergo a medical test with the Bundesliga side, and the deal is said to be worth $6.2 million.Ji told reporters in South Korea, however, that he is not going anywhere. “I am not joining Hamburger SV,” said Ji. “I only found out about the report after arriving home. I just p

Sept. 2, 2013

Ji says he ‘knows nothing’ about transfer rumors

South Korean striker Ji Dong-won, currently playing for Sunderland in the English Premier League, said Monday that he knew nothing about rumors that he had a medical test in Hamburg in order to join Hamburger SV of German Bundesliga.“I know nothing of the news. I found out about (the rumors) after I came to Korea,” the 22-year-old forward told reporters at South Korean national team’s training camp in Paju, north of Seoul. “I didn’t even go to Germany. I came straight from Newcastle.”Earlier in

Sept. 2, 2013

Madrid wins before Bale joins, Messi scores 3

Cristiano Ronaldo helped Real Madrid roll to a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao Sunday hours before the Spanish club announced it had signed Gareth Bale to pair him with the Portugal forward in one of the most formidable attacks in football.Not to be overshadowed by Bale's imminent arrival, Lionel Messi needed 41 minutes to score his 23rd career hat trick for Barcelona in a thrilling 3-2 victory at Valencia.Barcelona sports director Andoni Zubizarreta was one of the first to extend his welcome to th

Sept. 2, 2013

Federer easily reaches 4th round

NEW YORK (AP) ― Quick as can be, Roger Federer moved into the fourth round at the U.S. Open for the 13th year in a row.Finishing points with early winners from all angles, 17-time Grand Slam champion Federer raced through a 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 victory over 63rd-ranked Adrian Mannarino of France in only 1 hour, 21 minutes Saturday night.Through three matches, Federer has spent 4 1/2 hours on court, dropping a total of only 21 games.“There’s always a lot of pressure coming out here on this court to perf

Sept. 1, 2013

Sunderland signs Ki on loan

SUNDERLAND, England (AP) ― Sunderland has signed South Korea midfielder Ki Sung-yueng from Premier League rival Swansea on a season-long loan.The 24-year-old Ki made 38 appearances for the south Wales side in all competitions last season but has fallen down the pecking order this term and has been allowed to leave.At Sunderland, Ki is joining fellow South Korean Ji Dong-won.Ki started his career at FC Seoul before moving to Scotland when Celtic signed him three years ago.A league and cup winner

Sept. 1, 2013

Barcelona to face Milan in Champions League group

MONACO (AP) ― Barcelona will face seven-time winner AC Milan in the Champions League for the third straight season, while Bayern Munich begins the defense of its title in a group containing Manchester City. Thursday’s draw in Monaco put Barcelona in Group H with Milan, Ajax and Celtic ― four teams who have been European champions 16 times between them. Barcelona and Milan were grouped together in 2011-12 and then met in the quarterfinals, before facing each other in the round of 16 last season.

Aug. 30, 2013