King’s Cup win gives U-23s timely boost
By Cho Mu-hyun
The final qualifying matches for the London Olympics are close at hand. The Under-23 team will face Saudi Arabia on Feb. 5 and Oman on Feb. 22 before playing Qatar on March 14.
Although Korea is leading its group with two wins and a draw, Middle Eastern teams gave shock losses to national teams last year.
But the squad, led by Hong Myung-bo, is looking prepared. Team morale is high following a win at the King’s Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, that concluded over the weekend. The players looked in good spirits as they held up their medals and the trophy at Incheon International Airport on Sunday.
“The confidence that the players gained through the King’s Cup was the biggest achievement,” said Hong. “We will assess the strengths and weaknesses that were revealed and prepare for the next game.”
The 42-year-old manager decided to enter the competition as part of his training as many of the youngsters lack big game experience and to keep them sharp after the last match against Qatar in November.
The result was better than expected. Hosts Thailand were defeated 3-1 on Jan. 15, before a scoreless draw against Denmark last Wednesday and a 3-0 against Norway on Saturday, owing in particular to stellar performances by Kim Dong-sub and Kim Bo-kyung.
Hong, who rarely compliments the individual performances of his players and is known for his stern demeanor, said after the win against Norway, “We gained 100 percent of what we expected,” and added, “But the greatest joy comes from being able to be with these players.”
Kim Bo-kyung, who plays in Japan’s J-League, contributed a goal and an assist in the last match and expressed his confidence. “The target is at least London. I will aim for a medal if we get there,” he said.
Another benefit is that Hong is known to value the experience of facing European clubs. The U-23s only meet Asian teams as qualifying is based on region and have not competed with nations from other parts of the world since the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2009 in Egypt.
The manager deployed different tactics in all three games, deploying different players in various positions throughout, to judge who will be selected for the qualifiers. Out of the 25 who played in Bangkok, 20 will make the roster, aiming to take Korea to the Olympics for a seventh consecutive time.
“I am happy to keep the tradition of my predecessors by winning the King’s Cup prior to the Olympics,” he said, referring to Cha Bum-kun who won the 1998 tournament before leading his squad to the Sydney Games. Fans have high expectations that Hong will maintain the tradition of a Korean team progressing to the Summer Games.