Tale of 2 halves for Korea as Son shines, new starters struggle in draw vs. Mexico
Son Heung-min of Korea, right, celebrates his goal against Mexico with teammates during the second half of an international friendly soccer match in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., Sept. 9. AP-Yonhap
Korea's 2-2 draw against Mexico in their friendly match in Tennessee offered a tale of two halves, with new faces in the starting lineup struggling to make an impact and then the inimitable captain Son Heung-min taking matters into his own hands as a sub
Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo had nine new players in the lineup compared with the one that started against the United States on Saturday. Other than center back Kim Min-jae and midfielder Lee Kang-in, others could reasonably be called reserves with relatively little experience starting.
The absence of experienced stars for world No. 23 Korea was sorely felt in the first half against 13th-ranked Mexico. Without Son, who began the match on the bench, and Lee Jae-sung, who was dropped from the team after suffering a hamstring injury during the U.S. match, Korea's offense lacked fluidity and creativity.
Though Lee Kang-in did his best to create chances out of nothing, other attackers were mostly static, unable to make themselves available for passes with off-ball movements.
After applying high pressing effectively against the U.S., Korea didn't have as much success with that strategy against Mexico. Attackers tasked with pressuring Mexican defenders were often a step or two slow, giving their opponents enough time and space to make outlet passes without much duress.
Jens Castrop, a Korean German midfielder, made his first start for Korea after making his Taegeuk Warriors debut as a second-half sub against the U.S. However, Castrop and Park Yong-woo, as the two defensive midfielders, offered an overlapping set of skills as physical players, but their partnership lacked playmaking elements.
Raul Jimenez put Mexico on the board with a header goal in the 22nd minute, while Korean striker Oh Hyeon-gyu missed the target on a couple of counterattack looks.
Son replaced Bae Jun-ho as a winger to start the second half, while Kim Jin-gyu, who has some offensive instincts, came in for Castrop.
Back in his more familiar spot after starting as a striker against the U.S., Son immediately injected some new life into the stagnant offense. And he netted the equalizer in the 65th minute with a cannon of a left-footed shot over the head of the goalkeeper, Raul Rangel.
Oh then atoned for his earlier misses by scoring the go-ahead goal 10 minutes later, finding just enough space between the legs of defender Johan Vasquez as the ball rolled into the bottom left corner.
Korea's valiant second-half effort went for naught, however, as Santiago Gimenez scored the tying marker during stoppage time for a 2-2 draw.
The latter half of the physical and intense match proved that Son, at 33, can still be a force at a high level, despite whispers of his age-related decline.
And with Hong continuing to search for depth up and down the lineup ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup, those vying for opportunities will have to step up their game.