K League Headlines: August 31st - September 6th

It may be an international break but there is still plenty to talk about in the world of Korean football. Our site columnist Chris Park returns with his round-up of the recent headlines in that you may have missed.

[K League 1] Koo Dae Young’s Time has Finally Come After 4 Months of Waiting

Koo Dae-young, better known by his playing number "90" rather than as a player, made his pro debut at FC Anyang in 2014 and joined the K League 1 for the first time this year with Suwon Samsung Bluewings after a spell at Asan (2017-2018), but has endured a tough first half of the season.

Koo proved crucial his team's first home win in nearly two months, scoring the winner against Jeju United on Friday, August 30th. Having scored his first goal against Incheon United earlier in the season, in addition to featuring in the recent away win over against Daegu FC, neutralising the Cesinha threat, Koo level of trust with his manager has been on the rise.

Manager Lee Lim-saeng, who lost key midfielder Sarić without any clear reinforcement in the summer transfer market, is happy to see his back-up resources in the second and third lines compete. Suwon will face Seongnam FC and Sangju Sangmu after the international break, two teams that are competing to enter the top half, before facing the difficult task of Ulsan, Jeonbuk and Seoul.

Source: Sports Chosun (Yoon Jin-man)
Date: September 2nd, 2019

[K League 1] Incheon and Ulsan's to Focus on Rebuilding their Defence this Break

Incheon United and Ulsan Hyundai played at Incheon Football Stadium on Sunday, 1st September. The match resulted in a 3-3 draw. Ulsan’s Junior scored multiple goals but failed to stop Stefan Mugoša’s hat-trick., meaning both teams shared a point from this match.

Incheon’s manager Yoo Sang-chul said, “We played well against Ulsan, which is not easy, thanks to the enthusiastic home fans. Also, I appreciate the players who did not give up until the end.” He also said, “Today, Lee Jae-sung, a key defender, was in bad shape to play the match but he took painkillers. To solve this defensive problem, we will try to go over our mistakes.”

Ulsan’s manager Kim Do-hoon commented about Mugoša’s hat-trick, “It was a great shot. Kim Seung-gyu could not respond at all. As we have shown today, we have to supplement the defensive part. Kim Su-an did a good job, but overall, he needs to improve his concentration and improve his performance.”

Source: Sports World (Kim Jin-yeop)
Date: September 1st, 2019

[KFA] Accusations Continue to Mount Against Former High School Football Association President Chung Jong-son

Controversy persists over Chung Jong-son, a former president of the High School Football Association, who is suspected of embezzling funds to operate a high school football team and sexually assaulting parents. Chung is currently under investigation, with additional allegations having been raised that his son also received monthly salaries from the running costs of the soccer team.

According to KBS, Chung's son received about 80 million Korean Won from 2015 to March this year. The amount of the money is from the Eonnam High School’s football membership fee.

In May, Chung was investigated by police for allegedly receiving tens of millions of Korean Won from parents in the name of operating the football team while he was serving as the head coach of Eonnam High School, Seoul. Furthermore, Chung has also been accused of allegedly sexually assaulting parents during his tenure, with investigations into the matter ongoing.

Source: Sports Seoul (Yoon So-yoon)
Date: September 5th, 2019

[Korean National Team] National team Debut for Wonderkid Lee Kang-in

South Korean National football team will have a friendly match against Georgia in Istanbul. This match will be a Lee Kang In’s national team debut match. Paulo Bento hinted that Lee Kang-in might make a debut on a national team.

"I watched him in training in March, and I confirmed his positive side," Bento said. "There will be a chance for him to be given some time to play against Georgia." Expectations for Lee were not limited to local fans. "The coach of the Korean national team has announced Lee Kang-in's debut is a sure option for the team," the Spanish media Eldesmarque reported on Sunday. "Lee stayed in Valencia after many twists and turns."

If he plays against Georgia, Lee, born in 2001, will make his debut at the age of 18 years and 203 days. This is the seventh youngest player to start following goalkeeper Lee Mun-young (18 years old and 180 days) who led the U-20 World Youth Championship in 1983.

Source: Osen (Lee Seung-woo)
Date: September 5th, 2019

[READ: Lee Kang-in's Career Headed to the Next Level]

[Korean National Team] Captain Son Heung-min: "The national team is not a place to play!"

Son harshly criticized the Taeguk Warriors, who had a close draw in Georgia's warm-up match. Son told reporters at the mixed zone after a 2-2 tie with Georgia in a warm-up match that ended in Istanbul, "To be honest, there is no other team that is weaker than the Korean national team.” He also pointed out, “We are weak. It is a reality and we have to accept it.”

The national team, led by head coach Paulo Bento, took on a 3-5-2 tactic, a "Plan B," in the Georgia warm-up match, but failed to revive its teamwork and was dragged away repeatedly after making poor passing mistakes to Georgia, who are ranked 94th in the FIFA rankings.

In the draw against Georgia, Son said, "It's not a matter of the three-back tactics. I feel a lot of responsibility as a captain for playing this kind of game. It is embarrassing as a national team that we failed to show our best performance."

He added, “We are all here on behalf of the Republic of Korea. We need a player to pull everything out when in the stadium. I hope the players who made their debut today will think about that a lot."

Source: Yonhap News (Lee Young-ho)
Date: September 6th, 2019