K League middle class gets crowded as Ulsan open up large lead at top

With less than a third of the K League 1 season in the books, it may be too early to say Ulsan Hyundai FC will run away with the title and everyone else will be playing for second place. It just seems that way, though. Ulsan bounced back from their first loss of the season Thursday by beating Gangwon FC 3-1 on Sunday. At 26 points, they have opened up a seven-point cushion on three clubs directly below them. Pohang Steelers climbed to second place by edging out Seongnam FC 1-0 on Sunday. Jeju Un

May 9, 2022

Tottenham's Son Heung-min scores Premier League career-high 20th goal

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min has reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time in a Premier League season. Son scored the milestone goal in a 1-1 draw against league-leading Liverpool at Anfield in Liverpool, England, on Saturday (local time). With 20 goals in Premier League play, Son is now two back of Liverpool sensation Mohamed Salah in the Golden Boot race. No Asian player has won a scoring title in the top English competition. Tottenham and Liverpool will each play t

May 8, 2022

K League-leading Ulsan looking to pick up pieces as season resumes

Despite being at the top of the tables, Ulsan Hyundai FC will return to K League action this week licking their wounds. The K League 1 campaign will resume for all 12 teams on Thursday, the Children's Day holiday, after nearly a monthlong spring break. The league pressed pause while Ulsan and two other clubs, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Daegu FC, played in the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. Jeonbuk and Daegu qualified for the round of 16, but Ulsan, t

May 4, 2022

K League to play with official World Cup ball starting this week

The operator of the South Korean professional football competition announced Monday the official FIFA World Cup ball will be put in play starting this week.    The Korea Professional Football League (K League) said "Al Rihla," the match ball for this year's World Cup in Qatar, will be featured here, beginning with matches on Thursday. It is also the Children's Day holiday.    Following a spring break during the group stage for the Asian Football Confederation (AF

May 2, 2022

2 out of 4 K League clubs reach AFC Champions League knockouts

And then there were two. Two out of four South Korean teams have reached the knockout stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, the top annual club tournament in the region. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Daegu FC are in, while Ulsan Hyundai FC and Jeonnam Dragons have been sent packing. Jeonbuk became the first to do so by beating Sydney FC 3-2 last Thursday in their penultimate Group H match in Ho Chi Minh City. They closed out the preliminary phase with a 1-1 draw against

May 2, 2022

Tottenham's Son Heung-min nets milestone goals in key victory

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min has scored his way into South Korean football record books. Son grabbed a brace in Tottenham's 3-1 victory over Leicester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). Son now has a career-high 19 goals for this Premier League season, and he also owns the record for most goals by a South Korean player in a season in a European league. Former Leverkusen hero Cha Bum-kun had held the mark with 17 goals from the 1985-1986 season. In all compet

May 2, 2022

With one team in, 3 more from S. Korea trying to reach AFC Champions League knockouts

With one match remaining in the group stage, only one of the four South Korean teams in action has locked down a spot in the knockout phase of the top Asian club football competition. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Ulsan Hyundai FC, and Daegu FC of the K League 1 and Jeonnam Dragons of the K League 2 are playing in this year's Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. Through Thursday, they have all played five out of six group matches in centralized venues -- an arrangement put in place to

April 29, 2022

K League-leading Ulsan among 4 S. Korean clubs chasing Asian title

The South Korean football leaders Ulsan Hyundai FC will be among four teams from the country to begin their pursuit of the Asian club title this week, with six matches on the horizon over the next two weeks. The group stage at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League for the East Region, covering teams from South Korea, Japan, China, Australia and Thailand, among others, will kick off Friday. The preliminary action for the West Region, which includes clubs from the likes of Qatar,

April 14, 2022

Tottenham Hotspur to visit Seoul for exhibition match on July 13

Tottenham Hotspur will face a South Korean league All-Star team in an exhibition match in Seoul on July 13, the domestic league office announced Thursday. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) said Seoul World Cup Stadium will host the match between the Premier League club and "Team K League." Tottenham have built a strong fan base here thanks to the exploits of their South Korean star, Son Heung-min. The national team captain leads the North London club with 17 goals this

April 14, 2022

Tottenham's Son Heung-min scores 2nd Premier League hat trick

Son Heung-min scored his second career hat trick in the Premier League, helping Tottenham Hotspur tighten their grip on fourth place in the tables. Son is now up to 17 goals for the season after netting three past Aston Villa in Tottenham's 4-0 rout at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, on Saturday (local time). The South Korean star sits alone in second place in goals, three back of Mohamed Salah of Liverpool. Son has also matched his Premier League single-season career high in goals. He had al

April 10, 2022

Son Heung-min nets 14th goal of season, lifts Tottenham to 4th place in Premier League

With a goal and an assist Son Heung-min has pushed Tottenham Hotspur into fourth place in the Premier League tables. Tottenham routed Newcastle United 5-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time), erasing a 1-0 deficit with five unanswered goals. Son assisted on Ben Davies' equalizer in the 43rd minute and then scored one for himself in the 54th minute. The goal was Son's 14th of the season, as the South Korean star stayed tied with Diogo Jota of Liverpool for second place i

April 4, 2022

S. Korea to face Portugal, Uruguay, Ghana at FIFA World Cup

South Korea will take on Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana in the group stage of this year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The draw for the Nov. 21-Dec. 18 tournament took place Friday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, the capital city of the host country, Qatar. South Korea, competing in their 10th consecutive World Cup and 11th overall, ended up in Group H. South Korea, ranked 29th in the world, will open the tournament against No. 13 Uruguay at 4 p.m. on Nov. 24 at Education City

April 2, 2022

With World Cup place booked, S. Korea coach still sees final qualifier as 'very important'

Even with South Korea having already secured their place in this year's FIFA World Cup, head coach Paulo Bento feels his team's final qualifier against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will still be "a very important game." South Korea will enter Tuesday's match against the UAE as the top seed in Group A of the final Asian World Cup qualification round. And wanting to see his team finish in that exact same spot, Bento said he won't give equal playing time to everyone just because some pl

March 29, 2022

S. Korea looking to close out World Cup qualifying on winning note vs. UAE

Sitting pretty atop their group with a spot in this year's FIFA World Cup already secured, South Korea will look to close out the regional qualifying phase on a high note against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week. South Korea will take on the UAE at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday (local time), or 10:45 p.m. Tuesday (Seoul time). It will be the last matchday in Group A of the final Asian qualification round for the World Cup. South Korea currently lead the group with 23 p

March 28, 2022

S. Korea trying to exorcise Iran demons, move into top spot in World Cup qualifying group

The last time South Korea defeated Iran in men's football was so long ago that Son Heung-min, the current national team captain and a transcendent star, was a raw 18-year-old who remained glued to the bench. Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo, two legends of the game long since retired, played the entire 120 minutes, as the teams needed an extra 30 minutes to determine the winner. The 1-0 South Korean victory came in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in January 2

March 22, 2022

Son Heung-min grabs brace in Tottenham's win over West Ham

For the first time this season, Son Heung-min has scored twice in a match for Tottenham Hotspur. Son's brace lifted Tottenham past West Ham United 3-1 in a Premier League contest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). Son found the back of the net in the 24th and again in the 88th minutes. With 13 goals this season, Son climbed into a tie for second place in the Premier League with Diogo Jota of Liverpool. They are seven back of another Liverpool star, Mohamed Salah. Son'

March 21, 2022

2 K League clubs bitten by virus bug heading into Week 6

Two South Korean football clubs that faced each other last week have been struggling to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus inside their locker rooms, with another matchweek on the horizon. Ulsan Hyundai FC extended their lead atop the K League 1 tables by beating FC Seoul 2-1 last Friday. In the ensuing days, both clubs have seen multiple COVID-19 cases pop up. Ulsan had to play a playoff match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League on Tuesday severely undermanned --

March 18, 2022

K League cellar-dwelling Seongnam FC sign forward Lee Jong-ho

Mired in the bottom of the K League 1 tables, Seongnam FC signed veteran forward Lee Jong-ho in free agency Wednesday, tasking the 30-year-old with kick-starting a dormant offense. Lee will begin his 12th professional season with his fourth club and will join the only winless club so far in the K League 1 this season. With two draws and three losses, Seongnam FC sit two points back of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in last place and have scored three times in those five games. Lee was a longtime franchi

March 16, 2022

S. Korea coach predicts 'difficult game' vs. Iran with top seed at stake in World Cup qualifying group

With one box checked, Paulo Bento has quickly shifted his focus to the next goal to achieve. Under his tutelage, South Korea have already booked a ticket to Qatar for this year's FIFA World Cup with two qualifying matches left. Few would have batted an eye if Bento had chosen to take his foot off the pedal for the rest of the current qualifying campaign. Instead, Bento on Monday called up most of his usual suspects in a bid to win his team's final two qualifying matches this month. South Korea w

March 14, 2022

With World Cup berth secured, top names still join S. Korea for final 2 qualifiers

Even with a World Cup spot secured, South Korea will not mess around in their next two qualifying matches, with many of their biggest stars named to the national team Monday. Head coach Paulo Bento unveiled his 25-man roster for South Korea's final two World Cup qualifiers scheduled for this month. Captain Son Heung-min, leading goal scorer for Tottenham Hotspur is back in the mix, as is Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan and FC Girondins de Bordeaux forward Hwang Ui-jo. (Yonhap) &nb

March 14, 2022