Korean footballers in Europe end seasons with regrets

South Korean footballers in Europe have wrapped up their seasons with regrets, as most of them failed to make strong impressions on their fans and coaches alike.The major European football leagues completed their 2015-16 campaigns over the weekend, and South Korean footballers in the English Premier League and the German Bundesliga closed their seasons with a mixed bag of performances.Koo Ja-cheol of FC Augsburg enjoyed the most impressive performance. The 27-year-old midfielder, who joined Augs

May 17, 2016

Two Korean Premier Leaguers boost national team hopes

Two South Korean footballers in the English Premier League (EPL) are boosting the country's hopes for upcoming matches, as they each notched a goal for their clubs over the weekend.Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur and Ki Sung-yueng of Swansea City are pulling their socks up ahead of the EPL season finale, trying to make an impressive finish after struggling most of the season. Their late-season surge is also welcoming news for South Korean men's football team head coach Uli Stielike, who has b

May 9, 2016

Suwon eliminated from AFC Champions League despite win over Shanghai

South Korean club Suwon Samsung Bluewings were eliminated from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Tuesday despite a 3-0 victory over Shanghai SIPG in their final group match.    In rainy and windy conditions at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, south of Seoul, the hosts routed group winners Shanghai, thanks to a double by forward Kim Gun-hee. The K League Classic club finished their Group G campaign at nine points with two wins, three draws and a loss, tied with Melbourne Vi

May 3, 2016

FIFA president to visit Korea next week

FIFA President Gianni Infantino will visit South Korea next week to meet with corporate sponsors of the international football governing body, a source close to the matter told Yonhap News Agency Friday.According to the source, Infantino will arrive in Seoul Wednesday and is expected to visit the headquarters of Hyundai Motor Group before leaving the country Thursday. This is Infantino's first visit to South Korea since he was elected FIFA's president in February.Industry insiders expect Infanti

April 22, 2016

Korean footballer named to English league's Team of the Year

South Korean footballer Ji So-yun was named to the Team of the Year in the top English women's football league for the second time in a row Thursday (local time).The Professional Footballers' Association announced the best lineups in the 2015-2016 season of its pro football leagues and Ji, who plays for Chelsea Ladies FC, was included on the Football Association Women's Super League Team of the Year as a right winger. It was Ji's second straight appearance in a lineup decided by the WSL players'

April 22, 2016

FC Seoul coach proud of players after sealing AFC knockout spot

FC Seoul head coach Choi Yong-soo said Wednesday he is proud of his players for clinching the Asian Football Confederation Champions League knockout berth as a group winner.Seoul sealed the top spot in Group F after beating Thai champions Buriram United 2-1 at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The reigning Korean Football Association Cup champions, who now have 13 points with four wins and a draw in their group, have qualified for the round of 16 regardless of their final match against Sanfrecce Hiroshim

April 21, 2016

FC Seoul clinch AFC Champions League knockout berth

South Korean outfit FC Seoul clinched a knockout berth as the Group F winner at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Wednesday with a 2-1 win over Buriram United at home.Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, another South Korean club in action Wednesday, aren't quite there yet, but they did take a major step toward the knockout stage with a 3-0 win over FC Tokyo in the Japanese capital. At Seoul World Cup Stadium the hosts received goals from forward Dejan Damjanovic and midfielder Park Yong-woo.

April 21, 2016

Korea targeting top group spot in Olympic football: coach

South Korea will aim to collect two wins and a draw to win their group at the 2016 Olympic men's football tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, head coach Shin Tae-yong said on Wednesday.The 16 qualified nations have been divided into four groups of four and the top two nations from each group will qualify for the knockout stage. South Korea are paired with Mexico, Fiji and Germany in Group C.If they reach the quarterfinals, South Korea will face a team from Group D where Argentina, Portugal, Al

April 20, 2016

Suwon beat Osaka to stay alive in AFC Champions League

South Korean club Suwon Samsung Bluewings defeated Gamba Osaka 2-1 Tuesday to stay alive in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.Another South Korean side, Pohang Steelers, lost to Guangzhou Evergrande 2-0 to drop to last place in their group, their hopes of reaching the knockout stage fading.At Suita City Football Stadium in Osaka, Brazilian forward Santos scored twice in the second half for Suwon, who survived a nervy finish for their first victory in Group G. Goalkeeper No Dong-g

April 20, 2016

Offense on upswing in top pro football league

Offense has been on the upswing in the top professional football league this season compared with last year, data showed Tuesday.Having each played six matches, the 12 clubs in the K League Classic have produced 94 goals, up from 83 goals over the same stretch in 2015.In 2014, the teams scored 75 goals after six matches each.For this season, Busan IPark and Daejeon Citizen were relegated to the second-tier K League Challenge, while Sangju Sangmu and Suwon FC earned a promotion.Busan and Daejeon

April 19, 2016

Former star midfielder gets new job at nat'l football body

Kim Nam-il, an integral member of the semifinalist South Korean team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, will join a task force for the nation's football industry, the Korea Football Association said on Tuesday.The KFA said that Kim, who recently decided to end his playing career, will be a member of its Strategic Planning for Future Task Force that rolls out productive plans for South Korean football. The KFA technical committee chief Lee Yong-soo is the leader of the task force."Kim's abundant experie

April 19, 2016

FC Seoul to make change after exit of skillful midfielder

FC Seoul have been cruising this K League Classic football season thanks to their formidable offense, but they are now forced to make a change as skillful midfielder Sin Jin-ho bids adieu to the club for his mandatory military service.Sin, who joined Seoul this season from the Pohang Steelers in the top-flight competition, entered the military training center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, on Monday to begin his service.The 27-year-old has been one of the instrumental players for Seoul's

April 18, 2016

Cha Bum-kun says he is ready to devote himself to 2017 U-20 World Cup

South Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun said on Monday he is ready to devote himself to the country's successful hosting of the FIFA U-20 World Cup next year.Cha was named the deputy chief of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup Organizing Committee last Friday and officially started his work at the organizing committee's signboard unveiling ceremony in Seoul on Monday. This is the first administrative job for the 62-year-old, who has had a successful career as a player, a coach and a television analys

April 18, 2016

Jeonbuk hoping to see benefit of squad rotation in tight schedule

South Korean pro football champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors hope to see their squad rotation system bloom during the tight schedule of the domestic league and the Asian premier club tournament, as they struggle to score three points in recent matches.Jeonbuk, two-time defending champions of the top-flight K League Classic, posted a 1-1 draw against Pohang Steelers in their domestic league action Sunday after conceding an equalizer in the 89th minute. This was another winless result after they suf

April 11, 2016

Korea up one spot in FIFA rankings at No. 56

South Korea has moved one spot up to rank No. 56 in the world, the latest FIFA ranking announced on Thursday showed.The April rankings of FIFA showed that the South Korea men's football team is ranked third best in Asia, just one notch above their archrival Japan.Iran was the top-ranked country in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) at No. 42 followed by Australia, which moved up from No. 67 to 50.Saudi Arabia was the fifth-highest-ranked Asian country at No. 60, followed by Uzbekistan (No. 6

April 7, 2016

Korea will remain second seed despite forfeit victory over Kuwait

South Korea will remain a second seed in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup despite the world football governing body's ruling that the country should be awarded a forfeit victory for their unplayed qualifier against Kuwait last month. FIFA's Disciplinary Committee announced on Wednesday (local time) that Kuwait have forfeited their Group G matches against South Korea and Laos in the second round Asian qualifiers for the World Cup in Russia. Kuwait have been suspended b

April 7, 2016

Korea won‘t be top seed in final World Cup qualification round

South Korea will not be a first seed in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup as their international ranking next month is expected to be lower than their Asian counterparts. The lineup for the third round of Asian qualifiers was finalized Tuesday as 12 countries have confirmed their spots. South Korea have qualified as the winner of Group G, marking a perfect record of seven wins in the previous round. The national football team has scored 24 goals and conceded none. For

March 30, 2016

Korea beat Thailand to set new shutout win record

South Korea beat Thailand 1-0 in a friendly match on Sunday to set a new national record for most consecutive shutout wins.With nearly 20,000 Thai fans packed at Suphachalasai Stadium in Bangkok, South Korea edged Thailand, thanks to an early first-half goal by striker Suk Hyun-jun. South Korea have now posted eight clean-sheet wins in a row, breaking the previous record of seven set in 1978 and matched in 1989.For the last eight matches, South Korea, coached by Uli Stielike, have scored 26 goal

March 28, 2016

Korea aim to break clean sheet record in friendly against Thailand

After notching a thrilling victory in the year's first match, the South Korean men's national football team will be aiming to break a clean sheet record when as they face Thailand in a friendly match on Sunday.South Korea, led by head coach Uli Stielike, on Thursday beat Lebanon 1-0 to stay perfect in the second Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup with seven straight wins in Group G.The victory also lifted the Taeguk Warriors, which have already booked a spot in the final qualific

March 25, 2016

Young forward will not start vs. Lebanon in World Cup qualifier: Stielike

South Korean men's football team head coach Uli Stielike said Wednesday FC Porto striker Suk Hyun-jun will not start the FIFA World Cup regional qualifiers against Lebanon.South Korea, 57th in FIFA rankings, face No. 145-ranked Lebanon 8 p.m. Thursday at Ansan Wa Stadium in Ansan, south of Seoul, for their Group G match of the second Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.Stielike said that Suk, who has scored 10 goals in the Portuguese league this season after moving from Vitoria Se

March 23, 2016