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Tag: Paulo Bento

  • Klinsmann hired to coach South Korea’s national soccer team

    Klinsmann hired to coach South Korea’s national soccer team

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    SEOUL (AP) — Former Germany great Jurgen Klinsmann was hired Monday to coach South Korea’s national soccer team.

    The 58-year-old Klinsmann, who won the World Cup as a player with West Germany in 1990, replaces Paulo Bento. The Portuguese coach left the team after leading South Korea to the second round at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

    “I am very happy and honored to be the head coach of South Korea’s national football team,” Klinsmann said in a statement. “I know well that the Korean national team has been, over a long period of time, constantly improving and producing results.”

    Klinsmann signed a contract through the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

    South Korea has qualified for 10 straight World Cup tournaments. Klinsmann will be expected to extend that streak with the Asian region getting eight guaranteed spots at the expanded 48-team World Cup in 2026.

    After a successful playing career, Klinsmann coached Germany to the World Cup semifinals in 2006 and then led the United States to the round of 16 in 2014. He also coached German club Bayern Munich, one of his former teams.

    Klinsmann’s first game with South Korea will be a friendly against Colombia on March 24. World Cup qualifying starts in Asia in October but the coach’s first target will be to lead South Korea at the next Asian Cup, scheduled to be held in Qatar in January.

    South Korea last won the continental title in 1960.

    Klinsmann, whose last coaching job was a 76-day spell in charge of Hertha Berlin that ended in January 2020, will be the eighth foreign coach in South Korea’s history and the second from Germany. Uli Stielike was in charge from 2014-17.

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    More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Injured Son leads South Korea’s World Cup squad for Qatar

    Injured Son leads South Korea’s World Cup squad for Qatar

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    SEOUL, South Korea — In a surprise to no one, Tottenham forward Son Heung-min is headlining South Korea’s squad for the third straight World Cup as coach Paulo Bento places his hopes on his superstar striker who is recovering from a fractured eye socket.

    Bento also selected Napoli defender Kim Min-jae and Mallorca attacking midfielder Lee Kang-in but left out speedy Ulsan Hyundai winger Um Won-sang when he named his 26-player roster Saturday for the tournament in Qatar.

    Son, who has scored 35 goals in 104 internationals, hasn’t played since Nov. 2 when he sustained a fracture around his left eye following a collision with Marseille’s Chancel Mbemba while playing for Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League.

    While recovering from surgery, Son said this week that he expects to play in Qatar with a protective mask, reassuring fans on Instagram that he wouldn’t “miss this for the world.”

    But there are concerns whether he would be able to display something close to his top form following the injury-related layoff, after Bento spent years carefully building his offense around Son’s speed, two-footed shooting reflexes and dead-ball accuracy.

    At a media conference in Seoul, Bento said it remains unclear when Son would be able to resume training with the national team, saying his condition was being analyzed day-by-day.

    Separate from the 26 players officially on his roster, Bento is also taking Suwon Samsung forward Oh Hyeon-gyu as an emergency reserve who could step in if Son or other injured players aren’t fit enough to play.

    “The most important (thing) is he recovers as well as possible, feels comfortable,” Bento said of Son.

    Son won the Premier League’s Golden Boot last season after sharing the scoring lead in English ’s top flight, strengthening his case as the country’s greatest player ever.

    Before Son’s injury, some analysts had considered Bento’s squad as the strongest team South Korea has ever assembled, at least on paper, with Son being supported by several players in their 20s and 30s getting regular minutes in European .

    Still, even if Son is healthy, South Korea is seen as an outsider to get out of Group H, which contains Uruguay, Portugal and Ghana.

    Son isn’t the only injured player on Bento’s roster. Kim Jin-su, who has been Bento’s first choice at left fullback, is dealing with a hamstring injury. Kim’s fitness is crucial as Bento relies heavily on his fullbacks to provide width to the attack, although the space they leave behind has created defensive problems South Korea has struggled to fix.

    Qatar marks South Korea’s 11th appearance at the World Cup and its 10th straight. The country has reached the knockout rounds only twice — making the semifinals at home in 2002, and the last 16 in the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

    South Korea breezed through Asian qualifying but has looked underwhelming in recent friendlies, including Friday’s laborious 1-0 win over Iceland at home. That match came at the cost of defender Park Ji-su, who sustained an ankle injury that left him out of the World Cup squad.

    With Son recovering from an injury, the pressure is on other attackers such as Wolverhampton winger Hwang Hee-chan and Jeonbuk Hyundai forward Cho Gue-sung to step up.

    Despite the team’s defensive problems, Bento at least has a solid center back pairing in veteran Kim Young-gwon and Napoli star Kim Min-jae, who brings a rare combination of size, speed and strength to the team.

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    South Korea

    Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabab), Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)

    Defenders: Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan Hyundai), Kwon Kyung-won (Gamba Osaka), Cho Yu-min (Daejeon HanaCitizen), Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors) ,Yoon Jong-gyu (FC Seoul), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors) ,Hong Chul (Daegu FC)

    Midfielders: Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd), Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan), Paik Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos), Lee Jae-sung (1.FSV Mainz), Kwon Chang-hoon (Gimcheon Sangmu), Jeong Woo-yeong (SC Freiburg), Lee Kang-in (Mallorca), Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhamton), Na Sang-ho (FC Seoul), Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)

    Forwards: Hwang Ui-jo (Olympiacos), Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup

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  • World Cup hopes for South Korea rest on Son Heung-min

    World Cup hopes for South Korea rest on Son Heung-min

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    SEOUL, South Korea — Few players carry an entire nation’s hopes like Son Heung-min.

    South Korea will be counting on the Tottenham forward’s two-footed shooting ability and his scoring touch at this year’s World Cup.

    The 30-year-old forward started the Premier League season without a scoring a goal in eight games, but he seems to have regained his touch just in time for the tournament in Qatar.

    The current group of players is arguably the best South Korea has ever assembled. Son is supported by several players in their 20s and early 30s getting regular minutes in European soccer.

    Still, the South Koreans will head to Qatar as underdogs in a tough Group H with Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana.

    South Korea coach Paulo Bento’s critics say he has a rigid style of play that’s over-reliant on Son and struggles at times to maximize his skill set. The defense has also been less than stout.

    ASIAN POWERHOUSE

    Qatar marks South Korea’s 11th appearance at the World Cup and its 10th straight. The country has reached the knockout rounds only twice — making the semifinals at home in 2002, and the last 16 in the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

    South Korea breezed through Asian qualifying but has looked underwhelming in recent friendlies, including a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica and a laborious 1-0 win over Cameroon in September.

    Some have criticized the South Korean soccer association for failing to book warm-up matches with stronger opponents and deciding to host all the team’s friendlies since June at home.

    South Korea’s run at the 2018 World Cup ended in the group stage. Son’s late goal capped off a 2-0 victory over Germany in the team’s final group match to eliminate the defending champions, but the South Koreans still failed to advance.

    “We will clearly be an underdog, but I hope we can create a real surprise for the stronger teams,” said Son, who will be playing at his third World Cup.

    BUILDING AROUND SON

    Son shared the Premier League scoring lead last season, but he has often struggled to be as loose and dangerous as he is with Tottenham when he’s playing for his country.

    Since taking over South Korea in 2018, Bento has experimented with various attack partners to fit with Son and now appears to have settled with a committee approach.

    Hwang Ui-jo, a forward for Greek club Olympiakos, adds another natural scorer to the lineup. But Hwang doesn’t create space for Son like Jeonbuk Hyundai’s Cho Gue-sung can with his ability to win balls in the air and stretch defenders.

    If Bento opts to sit deep and dial up defensive pressure against Uruguay or Portugal, he may pair Son with Freiburg forward Jeong Woo-yeong, who has the speed to chase balls and make plays across the field.

    Wolverhampton’s Hwang Hee-chan and Mainz’s Lee Jae-sung are likely to start as wingers, while Olympiakos’ Hwang In-beom pulls the strings from the midfield.

    TOUGH ROAD

    Bento wants his fullbacks to aggressively push forward and provide width to the attack. But the space they leave behind has also created defensive problems that South Korea has struggled to fix.

    Jung Woo-young, a veteran of Qatari club Al Saad, has often looked taxed in his role as the lone defensive midfielder shielding the backline. The team has shown a tendency to gradually concede space as the game progresses and easily allow goals in transition.

    Bento at least has a solid center back pairing. Kim Min-jae, who has looked impressive in his first season with Napoli, brings a rare combination of size, strength and speed. His partner, Kim Young-gwon, is one of the most experienced players on the team.

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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