Koo, Son not to play friendlies in March

By Yoon Chul

South Korean national football team manager Cho Kwang-rae decided Wednesday not to call up Bundesliga players Koo Ja-cheol of VFL Wolfsburg and Son Heung-min of Hamburg SV for two friendlies this month.

“Koo and Son already proved themselves during the Asian Cup in 2010,” Cho said. “But they have yet to prove their ability to their teams as starters. Giving chances for them to secure their role at the clubs is more important than calling them up for friendly matches,” added Cho.

The manager confirmed two other overseas players, Lee Chung-yong of Bolton Wanderers and Ki Sung-yueng of Celtic FC, will be with the squad. “Unless they have major reasons such as injury or fitness concerns, I will select them because they have already secured their places at their clubs,” he said.

Koo, who joined the German team in January, has only appeared three times as a substitute. Son scored three goals in the first half of season but played only once in February.

The South Korean squad will host Honduras on March 25 and Montenegro on the 29 as the dates are international match days under FIFA.

The national team can call players from international clubs regardless of their opposition. Cho plans to give chances to players from the domestic league.

“For two matches I will mainly fill the squad from the K-League,” Cho said.