Klinsmann trying to strike balance with Asian Games looming

Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain is in action against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors during a preseason friendly match at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in the southeastern city of Busan, Aug. 3. Yonhap

As he gears up for a pair of friendly matches in September, Korea head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is feeling lucky.

That's because he can have the services of some of the country's top young talent for his men's senior national team, and then still have them available for the under-24 squad at the Asian Games later in the same month.

Players' availability for the senior national team and the underage Asian Games or Olympic teams has often caused friction between the coaching staffs. But with the way match fixtures work out for both sides this time, Klinsmann and Hwang Sun-hong, bench boss for the Asiad team, likely won't have to fight over players.

Klinsmann's team will play Wales in Cardiff, Wales, on Sept. 7 and then Saudi Arabia in Newcastle, England, on Sept. 12. The first Asian Games match for Hwang's team is Sept. 19 in China.

One player regarded as an important piece for both national teams is the 22-year-old midfielder Lee Kang-in. A new summer signing by the French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Lee is considered the most talented U-24 player in Korea today, and one of the country's most skilled midfielders in any age group, period.

Hwang put Lee on his final Asiad roster in July, hoping he can help Korea win their third consecutive gold medal. On the other hand, Klinsmann will also count on Lee to help him get his first victory as Korea's head coach, after posting two draws and two losses so far.

Hwang has yet to have Lee in any of his training camps or tuneup matches in the leadup to the Asian Games. Hwang's team will play qualifying matches for the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup on Sept. 9 and 12 in Korea, which would be the final opportunities for Lee to get into match action with the rest of his Asian Games teammates before the competition. But these matches overlap with the senior team's friendlies.

In an online interview with Korean media Thursday, Klinsmann said he will have Lee on his team for the Wales-England trip and then send him over to China in time for the Asian Games.

"We will utilize Kang-in first with the 'A' national team, and then he will go straight to the under-24 team in time for the Asian Games," he said. "The lucky thing for our two games and the Asian Games is that we play the games beforehand. There's no conflict. We're lucky because the time window works out fine."

Korea's national soccer team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann speaks during a news conference in Seoul, June 22. AP-Yonhap

Klinsmann said the same applies to other members of the Asiad squad who could earn a callup to the senior team next month, such as Dynamo Dresden defender Park Kyu-hyun and KAA Gent midfielder Hong Hyun-seok.

"In general, whoever is part of my team comes to me first and then they go to the under-24 once the second game is played (in Newcastle)," Klinsmann said.

As for Lee's lack of training opportunities with the Asiad team, Klinsmann said, "I think the two games with us will prepare him much better for the Asian Games than just training."

Because Asian Games matches aren't part of the FIFA international calendar, European clubs are under no obligation to release their players for the event, which falls in the middle of their season. Lee's status for the Asian Games had seemed to be a question mark because of that, and Hwang acknowledged in July that he was still trying to convince PSG to send Lee. However, Klinsmann revealed that Lee had put a clause in his contract with PSG that will allow him to be released for the Asian Games.

"He was smart enough to put it in his contract to be released," Klinsmann said, adding that the situation may prove to be trickier for Park and Hong.

Klinsmann said it comes from a lack of understanding on the European teams' part for the importance of the Asian Games to Korean male athletes. Winning a gold medal at the continental competition grants those athletes exemption from mandatory military service. This can set them on course for a long, uninterrupted career.

Two of Korea's best football players today, Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur and Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich, both earned their military exemptions by winning the gold at the 2018 Asian Games.

Klinsmann admitted he himself had to learn this particular element about Korean football.

"The military situation is a very unique situation in Korea. It does not exist probably anywhere else in the world," he said. "For me and for a lot of people in Europe, it's difficult to comprehend how important the Asian Games are for the players, because of that military situation. I had to learn it first and now I have to try to explain this to people in Europe."

One potential issue that worries Klinsmann is that European clubs may demand their players back during the seven-day window between the Korea-Saudi Arabia match and the first Asian Games match.

"Theoretically, the clubs can say, after our game on Sept. 12 in Newcastle, that their players have to go back to the clubs to play one game and then go to the Asian Games," the coach said. "We hope that the club teams won't utilize that game." (Yonhap)