The Korea Herald

S. Korea selected as host of 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup

South Korea was selected as the host of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup here on Thursday.In a vote during FIFA's Executive Committee meeting in Brazil, South Korea edged out Azerbaijan for the right to host the world's premier youth football tournament.The U-20 World Cup will be the fourth FIFA-sanctioned competition that South Korea will stage, after the 2001 Confederations Cup; the 2002 World Cup, which it co-hosted with Japan; and the 2007 U-17 World Cup.South Korea is the third country to host

Dec. 6, 2013

S. Korea selected as host of 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup

Bayern, Leverkusen advance in cup

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ― Arjen Robben scored the opening goal before being taken out on a stretcher with an apparent knee injury Wednesday as title holder Bayern Munich advanced to the German Cup quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory in Augsburg.Also, Bayer Leverkusen edged Freiburg 2-1, Eintracht Frankfurt defeated second-division Sandhausen 4-2 after a hat trick from Joselu and Wolfsburg needed a late goal from Ivica Olic to prevail 2-1 over another second-tier club, Ingolstadt.Robben scored in th

Dec. 5, 2013

Sun, palms and turtles backdrop for WC draw

Sweltering temperatures and palm-tree fringed beaches home to dozens of newly hatched turtles heading for a glistening sea provided the backdrop as World Cup organizers met Wednesday to finalize preparations for Friday’s draw.FIFA chose the northeastern resort of Costa do Sauipe for the draw, an hour by road north of the city of Salvador, once Brazil’s capital and still the focus of the country’s African heritage.World football’s governing body Tuesday had to accept publicly that three of the 12

Dec. 5, 2013

Bale, Arsenal top soccer rankings

LONDON (AP) ― Gareth Bale took first place in the Associated Press global soccer poll Tuesday after scoring his first hat trick for Real Madrid.The Spanish power beat Valladolid 4-0 and was second in the team vote, seven points behind Premier League leader Arsenal.Aaron Ramsey scored twice in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Cardiff and was second in the player vote with 114 points. He was 49 behind Bale.Bale particularly impressed the panel of 20 global soccer writers, given that Madrid was without Crist

Dec. 4, 2013

Ulsan football head coach resigns after runner-up finish

Kim Ho-gon resigned as head coach of Ulsan Hyundai on Wednesday, three days after his K League Classic football club finished in second place in the nation's top-tier league.Kim told reporters in Seoul that he will leave the post after five seasons to hold himself accountable for Ulsan's close call this past season.His contract expired at the end of the season and Kim, 62, decided not to negotiate an extension.Ulsan had been in first place for most of November but lost to Pohang Steelers 1-0 on

Dec. 4, 2013

S. Korea in pot three with Asian, American qualifiers for FIFA World Cup

South Korea has ended up in a pot with other Asian and American qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.In the northern Brazilian resort of Costa do Sauipe, about 70 kilometers north of Salvador, FIFA on Tuesday unveiled its four pots for the quadrennial event set to open next summer.South Korea is in the third pot with Australia, Japan and Iran from Asia, and the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras from North and Central America.The draw will take place Friday, also in Costa

Dec. 4, 2013

Kim Shin-wook voted MVP in top football league

Ulsan Hyundai striker Kim Shin-wook was the runaway winner of the most valuable player honors in the top domestic football league on Tuesday.Kim earned 90 out of 113 media votes to earn his first MVP honors in the K League Classic, overwhelming Pohang Steelers midfielder Lee Myoung-joo, who had 12 votes, and FC Seoul midfielder Ha Dae-sung, who collected 11 votes.Kim, 25, helped Ulsan finish second in the first-division league with 73 points, one behind Pohang Steelers. Kim came up just shy of w

Dec. 3, 2013

Kim Shin-wook voted MVP in top football league

S. Korea to face United States in football friendly next year

South Korean men's national football team will face the United States in a football friendly match in California next year, officials said Tuesday.U.S. Soccer, the American governing body of the sport, announced on its website that the match will take place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, on Feb. 1 next year.It will be the first showdown between the countries since their 1-1 draw during the group stage at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which South Korea co-hosted with Japan. Both South Ko

Dec. 3, 2013

Barca loses again without Messi

BARCELONA (AP) ― Barcelona lost its second straight game without injured star Lionel Messi when Athletic Bilbao handed the defending Spanish league champions a 1-0 loss Sunday.Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute on a counterattack, taking a cross from Markel Susaeta before Barcelona could recover in defense.That left Barcelona even with Atletico Madrid and three points ahead of Real Madrid after both rivals won on Saturday.It was Barcelona’s first loss in the domestic leagu

Dec. 2, 2013

Gangwon, Sangju to clash in playoff

Sangju Sangmu FC, the reigning champion of the country’s second division football league, will take on Gangwon FC from the top tier competition this week in the first-ever relegation playoff in Korean professional football.Sangju, the military club made up of players serving their mandatory time in the armed forces, earlier clinched the K League Challenge championship. Then last weekend, Gangwon FC finished 12th among 14 teams in the first-division K League Classic, avoiding automatic demotion t

Dec. 2, 2013

Steel curtain rising

ULSAN (Yonhap News) ― Pohang Steelers captured the South Korean professional soccer championship with a nail-biting victory in the season finale on Sunday.Pohang defeated Ulsan Hyundai 1-0 with a last-second goal by Kim Won-il on the road at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to take the 2013 K League Classic title.With the riveting victory, Pohang ended the season with 74 points, one ahead of Ulsan, for their first K League championship since 2007.Ulsan en

Dec. 1, 2013

Arsenal powers seven points clear

LONDON (AP) ― Arsenal powered to a seven-point lead in the Premier League after beating Cardiff 3-0 on Saturday, with Aaron Ramsey’s prolific season touching new heights with a double against his former club.There was more misery for Fulham at the other end of the standings, with a demoralizing 3-0 loss at fellow struggler West Ham keeping the team in the bottom three and leaving beleaguered manager Martin Jol fighting for his job.Ramsey marked his return to his boyhood club by taking his remark

Dec. 1, 2013

Sao Paulo stadium only one of the problems

SAO PAULO (AP) ― Even before a crane dramatically collapsed and killed two workers at the Sao Paulo stadium, it was clear World Cup organizers would have their hands full trying to deliver all 12 venues by FIFA’s end-of-December deadline.The giant crane buckled when hoisting a 500-ton metal structure that came crushing on top of the stadium, clipping part of the roof and cutting through a huge LED panel that runs across the venue’s outer facade.The ravaged crane was seen resting on the ground ou

Dec. 1, 2013

Pohang Steelers claim pro football title with thrilling win in season finale

Pohang Steelers captured the South Korean professional football championship with a nail-biting victory in the season finale on Sunday.Pohang defeated Ulsan Hyundai 1-0 with a last-second goal by Kim Won-il on the road at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to take the 2013 K League Classic title.With the riveting victory, Pohang ended the season with 74 points, one ahead of Ulsan, for their first K League championship since 2007.Ulsan entered the match in f

Dec. 1, 2013

Top clubs to duel for title

The top two ranked clubs in the nation’s first-division football league will duel for the championship in the year’s final match on Sunday, a historic occasion ripe with late-season drama.With the 2013 K League Classic crown on the line, the first-place Ulsan Hyundai will host the No. 2-ranked Pohang Steelers at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul.Ulsan leads the league with 73 points, and Pohang is right behind with 71 points. Ulsan can c

Nov. 29, 2013

Ronaldo’s goals lift Portugal in rankings

ZURICH (AP) ― Cristiano Ronaldo’s match-winning goals for Portugal in World Cup playoff matches against Sweden lifted his country to No. 5 in the monthly FIFA rankings.Portugal’s 1-0 and 3-2 wins fueled a nine-place jump in the standings published Thursday as rivals played only friendly matches which score fewer points in the calculations.FIFA set World Cup seedings for the Dec. 6 draw from October rankings so playoff teams would not gain unfair advantage.Spain leads an unchanged top four from G

Nov. 29, 2013

Ronaldo’s goals lift Portugal in rankings

Top two clubs to duel for domestic football championship in season finale

The top two-ranked clubs in the nation's first-division football league will duel for the championship in the year's final match on Sunday, a historic occasion ripe with late-season drama.With the 2013 K League Classic crown on the line, the first-place Ulsan Hyundai will host the No. 2-ranked Pohang Steelers at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul.Ulsan leads the league with 73 points, and Pohang is right behind with 71 points. Ulsan can c

Nov. 29, 2013

Real, United, PSG storm through

LONDON (AP) ― Nine-time winner Real Madrid qualified for the Champions League’s last 16 alongside Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, while Juventus kept alive its chances of reaching the knockout stage.Madrid, which only needed a draw at home to Galatasaray to clinch top spot in Group B, won 4-1 with goals from Gareth Bale, Alvaro Arbeloa, Angel Di Maria and Isco.Juventus claimed its first win of the campaign and moved into second place in the same group with a 3-1 victory o

Nov. 28, 2013

Brazil under pressure after venue collapse

SAO PAULO (AP) ― Part of the stadium that will host the 2014 World Cup opener collapsed Wednesday, killing two workers and aggravating already urgent concerns Brazil won’t be ready for soccer’s signature tournament.The accident at the Arena Corinthians, known locally as the Itaquerao, could hardly have come at a worse time ― just a week ahead of the draw that will determine the tournament’s schedule and with the top names in soccer all descending on Brazil.Preparations have been plagued by setba

Nov. 28, 2013

Brazil under pressure after venue collapse

10-man Ajax holds on for 2-1 win over Barcelona

Ten-man Ajax held on for a shock 2-1 win over Barcelona on Tuesday to keep alive its hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League.The young Amsterdam team dominated the first half against a Barcelona side that had already qualified and took a well-deserved 2-0 lead into the break thanks to goals from Thulani Serero and Danny Hoesen.But Ajax gifted Barcelona a way back into the Group H match almost immediately after the break when Joel Veltman brought down Neymar, earning t

Nov. 27, 2013

10-man Ajax holds on for 2-1 win over Barcelona