Korean football coaches, players find themselves in hot seat in China

South Korean football coaches and players in China are in the hot seat as they've been struggling to make a positive impact with their respective clubs early into the season.After six matches, South Korean coaches Park Tae-ha and Choi Yong-soo are under fire as their clubs remain in the relegation zone of the Chinese Super League. Park's Yanbian Funde and Choi's Jiangsu Suning are the two worst teams in the 16-team league with winless records. Both teams have two draws and four losses.In this fi

April 24, 2017

Suwon eye AFC Champions League knockout berth at home

South Korean outfit Suwon Samsung Bluewings will aim to clinch a knockout berth at the top Asian club football competition this week, while three other South Korean teams will try to remain in the hunt for the last 16 qualification.Suwon will host Kawasaki Frontale on Tuesday for their Group G contest at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.(Yonhap)Suwon sit atop the group standings on eight points with two wins and two draws, and a draw against Kawasaki will be enough for them to s

April 24, 2017

Injured Augsburg midfielder returns home to focus on rehab

South Korean midfielder Koo Ja-cheol returned to his homeland from Germany on Friday to rehab an injured knee.Koo, who plays with FC Augsburg in the German Bundesliga, tore a ligament in his right knee after landing awkwardly following an aerial battle for a loose ball against FC Cologne's Marco Hoger last Saturday. Medical examinations later showed it was a season-ending injury as the 28-year-old needs to be out for at least six weeks. South Korean midfielder Koo Ja-cheol speaks to reporters at

April 21, 2017

Park Ji-sung tells Korean U-20 nat'l team to create 'miracle' at World Cup

South Korean football icon Park Ji-sung said Thursday he hopes the national under-20 football team will create a "miracle" at the upcoming FIFA competition at home.South Korea will host the FIFA U-20 World Cup in six cities -- Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Jeju, Jeonju and Suwon -- between May 20 and June 11. At the 24-team U-20 World Cup, host South Korea will face Argentina, England and Guinea in Group A.Park Ji-sung speaks before a match between South Korea and Brazil at the Suwon JS Cup interna

April 20, 2017

Host S. Korea to finalize U-20 World Cup squad after 2 friendlies

Host South Korea will finalize their final squad for the FIFA U-20 World Cup after playing two friendly matches with local soccer clubs next week.The country is in the final stretch of their preparations for the U-20 World Cup that will run from May 20 to June 11. The men’s national U-20 team, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, is in Group A with Argentina, England and Guinea at the 24-team tournament. South Korean national U-20 football team head coach Shin Tae-yong speaks to reporters after his

April 20, 2017

Monaco beats Dortmund to reach Champions League semifinals

MONACO -- Rising teenage star Kylian Mbappe and resurgent forward Radamel Falcao scored early goals as free-scoring Monaco beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 to reach the Champions League semifinals Wednesday.　 Dortmund trailed 3-2 from the first leg of the quarterfinal in Germany and conceded twice inside 20 minutes -- meaning it needed to score three times to have a chance. Attacking midfielder Marco Reus pulled one back in the 48th minute.　  Monaco's Kylian Mbappe (L) celebrates with his teammate Rad

April 20, 2017

Juventus hold firm to knock out Barcelona

BARCELONA, Spain -- A distraught Neymar left the field in tears as Juventus held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou on Wednesday to reach the Champions League semifinals 3-0 on aggregate.Barca had overcome a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 with a dramatic 6-1 win back on home soil.But Juventus showed why they boast the best defensive record in the competition as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were blunted as the Italians gained revenge for their defeat

April 20, 2017

Ronaldo hat trick puts Madrid into Champions League semis

MADRID -- With a hat trick that made him the first player to score 100 Champions League goals, Cristiano Ronaldo led Real Madrid to a 4-2 win over 10-man Bayern Munich after extra time on Tuesday and put the defending champion back in the semifinals. 　 Ronaldo scored once in regulation and twice in extra time, while Marco Asensio also netted late for Madrid, which advanced 6-3 on aggregate after a 2-1 first leg win in Germany.　 “In the big moments, Ronaldo always comes through,” Madrid coach Zin

April 19, 2017

Korean midfielder Koo Ja-cheol out 6 weeks with knee injury: report

Germany-based South Korean midfielder Koo Ja-cheol will miss at least six weeks with a knee injury, a report said Wednesday, casting doubt on his national team availability for World Cup qualifiers.Augsburger Allgemeine said Koo, who plays for the Bundesliga club FC Augsburg, will miss the rest of the German season with a ligament tear in his right knee.(Yonhap)Koo is also doubtful for South Korea's World Cup qualifying match against Qatar on June 13. The 28-year-old has been a fixture on the na

April 19, 2017

Korea's preparation for FIFA U-20 World Cup enters final stretch

With the FIFA U-20 World Cup just 30 days away, the local organizers and the South Korean national football team are in the final stretch of their preparations to deliver an impressive performance at home.Under the slogan "Trigger the Fever," the U-20 World Cup will be played from May 20 to June 11 in six cities -- Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Jeonju, Suwon and Seogwipo, Jeju Island. South Korea is the third country, along with Mexico and Japan, to have hosted all major FIFA men's tournaments, wit

April 19, 2017

Sanchez, Ozil strike to end Arsenal away woes

MIDDLESBROUGH, England -- Goals from Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil ended Arsenal’s run of four successive away defeats with a scratchy 2-1 victory over struggling Middlesbrough in its Premier League clash on Monday.The Gunners’ performance was far from convincing but will still bring some relief to its beleaguered manager Arsene Wenger.There was a period after Alvaro Negredo scored an equalizer when Middlesbrough, who have won only four league games this season, looked capable of going on to cla

April 18, 2017

Korea nat'l football team appoints chief assistant coach

The South Korean men's national football team on Tuesday appointed a chief assistant coach to help their beleaguered boss Uli Stielike.The Korea Football Association said Jung Hae-sung will be the top assistant to Stielike and will work with the Taeguk Warriors until the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, should South Korea qualify for football's showpiece event.ung Hae-sung, then-head of the referees committee at the Korea Football Association, speaks at a press conference in Seoul. Jung was named

April 18, 2017

Korea women's football team to play friendly with US in Oct.

The South Korea women's national football team plans to play a friendly against the United States in October, their head coach said Monday.Yoon Duk-yeo said South Korea, ranked No. 17 in the latest FIFA rankings, will play two friendly matches against No. 2 US in October away from home, although the exact dates and locations have yet to be determined.In this file photo taken on April 2, 2017, South Korean women's national football team head coach Yoon Duk-yeo (left) and players pose for a photo

April 17, 2017

Korean football club Suwon stuttering from frequent draws

South Korean football club Suwon Samsung Bluewings have lost only once since the new season started last month, but some angry supporters are already calling for the head coach's resignation.Suwon, the 2016 Korea Football Association Cup winners, are currently 10th in the top-flight K League Classic with five draws and one loss. After their match against Gwangju FC on Sunday ended in a scoreless draw at home, some avid Suwon fans booed their players and lambasted head coach Seo Jung-won for the

April 17, 2017

Son Heung-min ties single-season scoring record for Korean in European football

Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min on Saturday drew level with football legend Cha Bum-kun as the highest-scoring South Korean in Europe in a single season with his goal against Bournemouth.Son scored a goal in Tottenham's 4-0 win over Bournemouth in their English Premier League match at White Hart Lane in London. The 24-year-old scored his team's second goal in the 19th minute. Following Harry Kane's slick back heel, he dribbled past Bournemouth defenders and fired a shot low between Artu

April 16, 2017

S. Korean women's football team returns home from N. Korea after Asian Cup qualifying success

The South Korean women's national football team returned home on Thursday from North Korea after qualifying for the top Asian competition next year.South Korea, led by head coach Yoon Duk-yeo, won the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup Group B qualifying tournament in Pyongyang, where they competed against North Korea, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong and India. The South Korean women's national football team poses for a group photo at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on April 13, 2017. (Yo

April 14, 2017

Korea to face Uruguay, Senegal in friendlies ahead of U-20 World Cup

The South Korea men's national under-20 football team will play friendly matches against Uruguay and Senegal before entering the World Cup at home, the sport's national governing body said Friday. The Korea Football Association said South Korea's U-20 team will face Uruguay on May 11 and take on Senegal three days later. The venues for two matches will be announced later, it added. In this file photo taken on April 10, 2017, South Korea's men's under-20 football team renews its resolution for vi

April 14, 2017

Suwon beat Eastern SC to move atop group at AFC Champions League

South Korean football club Suwon Samsung Bluewings trounced Eastern SC 5-0 on Wednesday to move atop Group G standings at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.Ko Seung-beom and Johnathan each grabbed a brace for their hosts at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and led the K League Classic side to their second victory in Group G, which also features Guangzhou Evergrande of China and Kawasaki Frontale of Japan.Suwon, led by head coach Seo Jung-won, now have eight po

April 13, 2017

Women's football coach says real work begins after qualifying for Asian event

South Korean women's football head coach Yoon Duk-yeo said the real work for his team begins now, after they qualified for next year's top Asian competition.South Korea won the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup Group B qualifying tournament Tuesday, thanks to a 4-0 win over Uzbekistan in Pyongyang. South Korea and North Korea finished tied at 10 points with identical records of three wins and a draw, but the South had a better goal difference, plus-20 to plus-17. The South Korea wom

April 12, 2017

FC Seoul beat Western Sydney to stay alive in AFC Champions League

FC Seoul hung on to defeat Western Sydney Wanderers 3-2 on Tuesday to stay alive in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.Montenegrin striker Dejan Damjanovic grabbed a brace for FC Seoul at Campbelltown Stadium in Sydney, giving the K League Classic club their first victory in Group F after three straight losses. Western Sydney scored two second-half goals but couldn't cut the deficit any further. Lee Seok-hyun of FC Seoul (second from R) is congratulated by teammates after scoring

April 12, 2017