K League's Ulsan Hyundai drop opening match at FIFA Club World Cup

South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai FC have lost their opening match of the FIFA Club World in Qatar to fall to a consolation game. Ulsan lost to Tigres UANL of Mexico 2-1 at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha, on Thursday to kick off the 17th edition of the FIFA tournament. French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac scored twice for Tigres, while Kim Kee-hee had the lone goal for Ulsan in the first half. The Club World Cup brings together continental champions each year, plus the domestic

Feb. 5, 2021

Asian club football champions Ulsan head to Qatar for FIFA Club World Cup

The South Korean football club Ulsan Hyundai FC departed for Qatar on Friday to represent Asia at an annual FIFA tournament. Ulsan will compete at the Feb. 4-11 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar against champions of other continental tournaments. The K League 1 club booked their spot by winning the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League last month, also in Qatar. The FIFA tournament had been set for December but was pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ulsan will face Tigres U

Jan. 29, 2021

Women's football coach sees Olympic qualifiers as 'a chance to make history' for S. Korea

With his South Korean national team set to face China in Olympic women's football qualifying playoff next month, head coach Colin Bell isn't daunted by past results or the air of uncertainty surrounding the competition. South Korea, dubbed the Taeguk Ladies, have lost 27 times against China in 37 previous meetings. Their most recent victory came more than five years ago. These two countries will meet on Feb. 19 and then again on Feb. 25, with the aggregate score determining who will compete at

Jan. 19, 2021

Football icon Park Ji-sung named adviser for K League champs Jeonbuk

South Korean football icon Park Ji-sung will join the domestic club champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors as an adviser, hoping his knowledge of European football will keep the juggernauts at the top. Jeonbuk, the four-time reigning K League 1 title holders, announced Tuesday that Park, former national team captain, will work with them on a part-time basis while splitting his time in South Korea and Britain. Jeonbuk said Park will be advising in areas ranging from draft to player development, scout

Jan. 19, 2021

New coach for Asian club football champions stresses importance of attitude

When the South Korean football legend Hong Myung-bo met with his full squad for the first time as coach of Ulsan Hyundai FC on Monday, he didn't wax poetic on some trendy, modern strategies or formations. Instead, Hong placed his focus on the mental part of the game. "I spoke to the players about our three pillars for the upcoming season. They are: accountability, right attitude and happiness," Hong told reporters after his meeting with the players at the team's clubhouse in Ulsan, 4

Jan. 11, 2021

Son Heung-min scores in 2nd straight match, sends Tottenham into League Cup final

He has done it again. Son Heung-min scored in his second straight match, lifting Tottenham Hotspur into the English League Cup final with a 2-0 victory over Brentford on Tuesday (local time). After Moussa Sissoko opened the scoring in the 12th minute at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Son doubled the lead with his 70th-minute strike against the second-division club. Tottenham will face the winner of the other semifinal match between Manchester United and Manchester City. The championship

Jan. 6, 2021

New coach says FC Seoul belong in K League's top tier

FC Seoul finished in a disappointing ninth place among 12 clubs in the K League 1 in 2020, just a year after ranking in third place. And their new head coach, Park Jin-sup, is determined to take them back to the upper echelon, because that's where he thinks FC Seoul belong. "I think that is where we're supposed to be," Park told reporters Monday, before opening offseason camp at GS Champions Park, the club's training facility in Guri, just east of Seoul. "We have some veterans a

Jan. 4, 2021

Son shines: Son Heung-min scores 100th goal with Tottenham

Son Heung-min has scored his 100th goal as a member of Tottenham Hotspur. The South Korean star reached the century mark in a 3-0 victory over Leeds United in a Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday. The victory lifted Tottenham from seventh to third place in the league tables with 29 points. It was Tottenham's first win in five matches. Son's 43rd-minute goal, set up by Harry Kane, gave Tottenham a 2-0 lead. Son set up the third goal with a corner headed hom

Jan. 3, 2021

FIFA World Cup hero Lee Young-pyo named CEO of K League's Gangwon

CHUNCHEON -- Former World Cup star Lee Young-pyo will embark on a new career as an administrator. Gangwon FC of the K League 1 announced Tuesday that Lee, 43, will be their new CEO. He was nominated for the position on Dec. 8, and his candidacy was approved at a board meeting on Tuesday in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, 85 kilometers east of Seoul. Lee, a Gangwon native, was an integral member of the South Korean team that made a stunning run to the semifinals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The for

Dec. 22, 2020

Son Heung-min wins FIFA's best goal award

South Korean Premier League star Son Heung-min has won a FIFA award for the best goal of the year, the world's football governing body said Friday. He became the second Asian player and the first in South Korea to win the award. At the annual Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony held online, Son's wonder goal for Tottenham Hotspur against Burnley in December last year was named the winner of the annual FIFA Puskas Award. Established in 2009 in honor of former Real Madrid striker Ferenc Puskas,

Dec. 18, 2020

Son Heung-min named top S. Korean player for fifth time

South Korean forward Son Heung-min was named the country's best football player of the year for a record fifth time, the sport's governing body said Tuesday. The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced that Son, the attacking stalwart for Tottenham Hotspur, was voted the Male Player of the Year for 2020. It is the fifth time that Son has received the honor, including those in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2019, extending his lead over three-time honoree Ki Sung-yueng of FC Seoul, who earned the awar

Dec. 15, 2020

2 K League clubs avoid each other in AFC Champions League quarterfinals

Two South Korean football teams left standing at Asia's top club competition have avoided facing each other in the quarterfinals. The draw for the final eight at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League took place on Tuesday, with Ulsan Hyundai FC getting Beijing Guoan, and Suwon Samsung Bluewings drawing Vissel Kobe. Both of the quarterfinal matches will take place Thursday at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, just south of the Qatari capital of Doha. The first match between Ulsan and

Dec. 8, 2020

K League champions Jeonbuk part ways with coach Morais

All good things must come to an end, even a memorable two-year coaching run for Jose Morais with the K League champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Jeonbuk announced Sunday they have parted ways with the Portuguese coach after his two-year deal expired following the end of their 2020 campaign. In his two seasons, Morais led Jeonbuk to consecutive K League 1 championships in 2019 and 2020, and also added the Korean FA Cup title this year to complete Jeonbuk's first "double," or winning tw

Dec. 6, 2020

Son Heung-min scores, helps Tottenham reach Europa League knockouts

Tottenham Hotspur's Korean star Son Heung-min has found the back of the net for the 12th time this season while helping his club reach the knockout stage in a continental club tournament. Son scored once in Tottenham's 3-3 draw against LASK at Linzer Stadium in Linz, Austria, on Thursday (local time) in Group J action at the UEFA Europa League. The result moved Tottenham to 10 points on three wins, one draw and one loss with one match to go, good for second place behind Antwerp (12 points), an

Dec. 4, 2020

S. Korean football chief Chung Mong-gyu to pursue 3rd term

The current South Korean football chief Chung Mong-gyu will seek his third term at the helm. An official with the Korea Football Association (KFA) said Tuesday that Chung, its current president, submitted his letter of intent to run for another term earlier in the day, and it will be officially processed Wednesday. Under KFA rules, Chung will be suspended from duty during his campaigning period. Cho Byung-deuk, the most senior among seven vice presidents, will serve as the interim president.

Dec. 1, 2020

N. Korean int'l footballer wins MVP award in S. Korean league

Suwon FC forward An Byong-jun was named the MVP of the K League 2 on Monday, becoming the first player of North Korean descent to nab the individual award in South Korean football. An scored 21 of Suwon's 53 goals to lead all K League 2 scorers. He earned 14 votes from K League coaches and team captains, and 57 votes from the media. Those votes were converted to 72.4 points, nearly 50 more than the runner-up, Lee Chang-min of Jeju United. An, who was born in Japan and has represented North Kor

Nov. 30, 2020

Suwon FC earn promotion to K League 1 with last-gasp penalty

Suwon FC earned a promotion back to the top competition in South Korean football on Sunday, thanks to a last-second penalty that punctuated a dramatic finish. Suwon FC played Gyeongnam FC to a 1-1 draw in the final K League 2 promotion playoff at Suwon Sports Complex in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. But since Suwon were the higher seed in this match after finishing the season in second place, they only needed a draw against the third-seeded Gyeongnam to return to the K League 1. And An

Nov. 29, 2020

[Newsmaker] Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona dies at 60

BUENOS AIRES (AP) -- Diego Maradona, the Argentine soccer great who scored the “Hand of God” goal in 1986 and led his country to that year’s World Cup title before later struggling with cocaine use and obesity, has died. He was 60. Maradona’s spokesman, Sebastián Sanchi, said he died Wednesday of a heart attack, two weeks after being released from a hospital in Buenos Aires following brain surgery. The office of Argentina’s president said it will decre

Nov. 26, 2020

Gyeongnam FC advance to final K-League promotion playoff

Gyeongnam FC advanced to South Korean football‘s final promotion playoff with a 1-1 draw against rivals Daejeon Hana Citizen on Wednesday. Ko Kyung-min scored a 70th minute equalizer for Gyeongnam, 10 minutes after Edinho put Daejeon on the board in the first stage of the promotion playoffs in the second-tier K League 2 at Changwon Football Center in Changwon, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. As the higher seed, Gyeongnam only needed a draw, with no extra time or penalty shootout in p

Nov. 25, 2020

One additional nat'l football team staffer tests positive for COVID-19

The South Korean men's national football team reported an additional positive coronavirus test from a staff member Tuesday, while a goalkeeper who was previously infected has since tested negative. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said a fourth team staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 while in Austria for a pair of friendly matches earlier this month. During the November trip, seven players were also infected: Lee Dong-jun and Kim Moon-hwan of Busan IPark, Kwon Chang-hoon of SC F

Nov. 24, 2020