© EuroFootball.com
The head coach of the South Korean national team, Dick Advocaat from the Netherlands, announced a balanced and versatile composition of his team for the upcoming World Cup final tournament in Germany.
"I believe we have a very balanced team, one that can surprise many around the world. We are capable of reaching at least the second stage," said Advocaat, adding that anything can happen in a knockout competition like this.
The squad announced by Advocaat is a mix of well-known and established players in Europe who continue to improve at home. The most famous players in the team are current "Manchester United" midfielder Park Ji-Sung who shone in the 2002 World Cup and "Tottenham" defender Lee Young-Pyo.
The coach also decided to call up experienced defenders Choi Jin-Cheul and Song Chong-Gug, who were pillars of defense in the tournament four years ago. Additionally, the squad includes popular "Duisburg" forward Ahn Jung-Hwan, but Cha Du-Ri, son of former national team player and coach Cha Bum-Kun, did not receive a call-up.
After the 2002 World Cup, where South Korea participated as hosts and sensationally finished in fourth place, the team saw a decline in performance under coaches Guus Hiddink, Humberto Coelho, and Jo Bonfrere.
Therefore, in September of last year, another specialist from the Netherlands, Dick Advocaat, was appointed as the national team coach. His team will start the 2006 tournament on June 13th with a match against Togo, followed by games against Switzerland and France in Group G.
South Korea National Team
Goalkeepers: Lee Woon-Jae (Suwon Bluewings), Kim Yong-Dae (Seongnam Ilwha), Kim Young-Kwang (Chunnam Dragons)
Defenders: Lee Young-Pyo (Tottenham), Kim Dong-Jin (Seoul), Cho Won-Hee (Suwon Bluewings), Song Chong-Gug (Suwon Bluewings), Choi Jin-Cheul (Chonbuk Motors), Kim Jin-Kyu (Jubilo Iwata), Kim Young-Chul (Seongnam Ilwha)
Midfielders: Park Ji-Sung (Manchester United), Kim Do-Heon (Seongnam Ilwha), Kim Sang-Shik (Seongnam Ilwha), Kim Nam-Il (Suwon Bluewings), Lee Eul-Yong (Trabzonspor), Lee Ho (Ulsan Tigers), Baek Ji-Hoon (Seoul)
Forwards: Ahn Jung-Hwan (Duisburg), Cho Jae-Jin (Shimizu S-Pulse), Park Chu-Young (Seoul), Seol Ki-Hyeon (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Lee Chun-Soo (Ulsan Tigers), Chung Kyung-Ho (Gwangju Sangmu).
