South Korean outfit Suwon Samsung Bluewings played to a 2-2 draw with Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande at the 2017 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League on Wednesday.   Suwon went ahead with goals from Brazilian forwards Johnathan and Santos, but Guangzhou's Alan Carvalho saved the visitors from a defeat at the rain-soaked Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 45 kilometers south of Seoul.  The K League Classic club now has two draws in Group G, where they are also paired w

March 1, 2017

South Korean football has ended the year ranked No. 37 in the world. South Korea remained at the same spot as the previous month in the latest FIFA rankings announced Thursday.Iran topped all Asian Football Confederation (AFC) members at No. 29, followed by South Korea, Japan (No. 45), Australia (No. 47) and Saudi Arabia (No. 54).South Korea will resume their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign on March 23 against China. South Korea are currently ranked second behind Iran in Group A of the f

Dec. 22, 2016

The Asian club football champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors took fifth place at the FIFA Club World Cup after defeating South African side the Mamelodi Sundowns 4-1 on Wednesday.Kim Bo-kyung, Lee Jong-ho and Kim Shin-wook each scored one goal to help Jeonbuk, the winners of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, beat the Sundowns at the Suita City Football Stadium in Osaka, Japan.The FIFA Club World Cup features seven teams -- the winners of the continental club championships and

Dec. 14, 2016

Spanish football star David Villa launched his football academy in South Korea on Tuesday.Villa announced the inauguration of his DV7 Soccer Academy, which aims to help young children develop personal values through football. The prolific goal scorer, now with New York City FC in Major League Soccer (MLS), said that he is willing to support kids who are looking to maximize their abilities and planning a professional football career."My life has been all about football," Villa said at a press con

Dec. 13, 2016

When Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors won the Asian Football Confederation Champions League last month, Kim Shin-wook was happy and relieved. The towering striker knew he had just proved he is worth the money he is paid. "After winning the AFC Champions League, I told our general manager Lee Chul-geun that I did perform like a 2 billion ($1.7 million) won player," Kim said at a media event at Jeonbuk's clubhouse in Wanju, North Jeolla Province, on Thursday.Kim joined Jeonbuk from Ulsan Hyundai this year w

Dec. 2, 2016

Choi Kang-hee, who led South Korean football squad Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to the Asian club championship, has been named the continent's top coach of 2016.Choi won the 2016 Asian Football Confederation Men's Coach of the Year at the AFC Annual Awards in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (local time).He beat out two Japanese candidates: Makoto Teguramori of the Japanese men's national team, and Atsushi Uchiyama of the Japanese men's under-19 national team.Choi, 57, is the eighth South Korean to win the AFC c

Dec. 2, 2016

South Korean giants Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors won the Asian Football Confederation Champions League title on Saturday.Jeonbuk played to a 1-1 draw against Al Ain FC in the second leg of the AFC Champions League final at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, the United Arab Emirates. The result was enough for the K League Classic club to claim the continental title with an aggregate score of 3-2.Jeonbuk had a 2-1 win over Al Ain in the first leg at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, some 240 kilometer

Nov. 27, 2016

South Korea face Uzbekistan this week in a crucial match on their road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.South Korea will be the host at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The two countries will play their fifth match in the final Asian qualifying round for the World Cup.Both South Korea and Uzbekistan are in Group A, where they also compete against Iran, Qatar, Syria and China.South Korea, 44th in the latest FIFA rankings, boast a dominant head-to-head record against No. 48 Uzbekista

Nov. 14, 2016

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors boss Choi Kang-hee has been nominated for the top Asian football coach award. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Friday announced nominees for its annual awards and Choi was shortlisted for the AFC Coach of the Year honor.The 57-year-old South Korean is up against two Japanese coaches-- Makoto Teguramori and Atsushi Uchiyama. Teguramori managed the Japanese men's Olympic football team at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games, while Uchiyama guided Japan to the U-19 Asian

Nov. 11, 2016

South Korean starlet Hwang Hee-chan showed he is in fine form as the young striker grabbed a brace at a second-tier European cup competition ahead of his national team duty next week. Hwang scored both goals in FC Red Bull Salzburg's 2-0 victory against OGC Nice at the UEFA Europa League Group I clash at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, France, on Thursday (local time). It was the first time that the 20-year-old netted goals at a European club tournament. Hwang, who joined Salzburg last year, came o

Nov. 4, 2016

South Korea jumped three spots to No. 44 in the latest FIFA rankings despite their loss to Iran earlier this month. FIFA, the world football body headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, announced its October world rankings on Thursday (local time). The rankings showed South Korea remained as the third-highest-ranked member of the Asian Football Confederation behind No. 27 Iran and No. 40 Australia. Iran moved up 10 spots from their September rankings, while Australia climbed up five spots. South K

Oct. 21, 2016

South Korea traveled to Tehran to face Iran in an Asian World Cup qualifying match Tuesday, with an eye on ending a winless drought that has last for more than four decades.South Korea instead suffered a 1-0 loss at Azadi Stadium, dropping to two draws and five defeats in the Iranian capital. And they looked pretty bad doing so.South Korea coach Uli Stielike also talked tough on the eve of the contest, saying the goal was to make new history.The message clearly didn't get through to his players,

Oct. 12, 2016

Suspended defensive back Hong Jeong-ho has been replaced on the national men's football team.The Korea Football Association said Kim Min-hyeok of Japanese club Sagan Tosu will take Hong's spot on the 23-man roster in the Asian qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.Hong was sent off on two yellow cards in South Korea's 3-2 win over Qatar Thursday, and earned an automatic suspension for the next match against Iran in Tehran.The KFA instead went with Kim, who hasn't played for the senior national

Oct. 7, 2016

In-form Tottenham attacker Son Heung-min continued to dazzle on Thursday, scoring the winner against Qatar in South Korea's 3-2 victory in the World Cup qualifier.Son entered the contest at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 40 kilometers south of Seoul, as one of the hottest players anywhere. He has netted five goals in six matches for the Spurs in Premier League and Champions League action.The 24-year-old saved the country from the brink of an embarrassing draw against the underdogs. After capt

Oct. 7, 2016