S. Korean Olympic football team to play in Nov. friendly tournament in Egypt

The South Korean men's Olympic football team will play at a friendly tournament in Egypt next month. The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Friday that the national under-23 squad, coached by Kim Hak-bum, will face Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the tournament taking place in Cairo. South Korea will first take on Egypt at 1 a.m. on Nov. 14 (Seoul time) and then Saudi Arabia at 1 a.m. three days later. All three countries have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. These matches fall during the N

Oct. 30, 2020

Retiring football legend says mental, not physical, issues pushed him into retirement

JEONJU -- Even at the age of 41, Lee Dong-gook has felt great physically in his 23rd professional football season. But the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors legend and K League's career scoring leader, in making his retirement official Wednesday, said he no longer has the mental toughness necessary to survive the grind. "I know a lot of people may assume that I am quitting because of my injury, but I am fully recovered and feeling great," Lee said at a press conference at Jeonju World Cup Stadi

Oct. 28, 2020

Tottenham's Son Heung-min scores 8th goal, leads Premier League scoring

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min has become the top scorer in the Premier League, with his league-leading eighth goal giving his team a tight 1-0 victory. In an away game against Burnley at Turf Moor in Burnley, Britain, on Monday (local time), Son headed in from close range after a headed pass from his English teammate Harry Kane in the 76th minute. The winner is Son's eighth goal in the league's 2020-21 season and helped him take the lead in the Premier League scoring table, outnumbering Do

Oct. 27, 2020

S. Korean football's career leading scorer announces retirement

Lee Dong-gook, the career scoring leader in South Korean club football, announced his retirement on Monday. Lee's K League 1 club, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, said Lee, 41, will hold his retirement press conference on Thursday at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul. Lee will make his final appearance in the club's final match of the season on Sunday -- against Daegu FC at Jeonju. The ageless wonder has scored 228 goals in his illustrious K League career, which include

Oct. 26, 2020

K League's top two clubs clash for last time with title at stake

So they meet again. Ulsan Hyundai FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the two best clubs in the K League 1 in 2020, will square off for the final time in the league this season Sunday. The match will kick off at 4:30 p.m. at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, 415 kilometers southeast of Seoul. With two matches remaining, Ulsan and Jeonbuk are tied with the most points in the league at 54, and no other club has a chance to catch them. Ulsan remain ahead of Jeonbuk for now, thanks to their edge i

Oct. 22, 2020

Another goal keeps Son Heung-min tied for Premier League scoring lead

Son Heung-min has found the back of the net again for Tottenham Hotspur to stay tied for the Premier League scoring lead, though his latest effort was overshadowed by the club's dismal second-half effort. Fresh off an international break, the South Korean star picked up a goal and an assist within the first eight minutes of the Premier League match against West Ham United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). Son helped the Spurs open up a 3-0 lead at halftime, but the

Oct. 19, 2020

Promotion playoffs in S. Korean football set for Nov.

Two playoff matches with a spot in South Korean club football's top division at stake will kick off next month. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced fixtures for the two promotion playoff matches Wednesday. The top club from the K League 2 and the playoff winner will earn the promotion to the K League 1 for 2021. From the top division, Sangnju Sangmu, the club comprising conscripted players, have been assured of relegation for next season, as part of a deal that will see

Oct. 14, 2020

Tottenham's Son Heung-min has mixed feelings about documentary on club

During what ultimately ended as a disappointing 2019-2020 Premier League season for Tottenham Hotspur, the club's Korean star Son Heung-min and his lads had a documentary crew's cameras and microphones following their moves at home and away. The upshot was "All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur," a nine-episode series on Amazon Prime. It chronicles a campaign that saw the slumping Spurs change their head coach en route to a sixth-place finish. Having watched the documentary, Son said he

Oct. 13, 2020

Pro football league to reopen stadium gates Friday

The South Korean pro football league will reopen the gates to its stadiums later this week, following the recent easing of social distancing restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, the Korea Professional Football League announced Monday. According to the K League, starting with the K League 1 match between Gangwon FC and Incheon United on Friday, supporters will be readmitted to stadiums. The government announced Sunday it would soften social distancing rules and allow pro sports leagues

Oct. 12, 2020

Montenegrin striker Mugosa named K League's top player for Sept.

Incheon United striker Stefan Mugosa has been voted the top player in South Korean club football for September. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced Monday that Mugosa topped three other candidates for the Player of the Month honor for September. Mugosa is the first Incheon United player to earn this monthly award. Mugosa scored six goals -- coming in two separate hat tricks -- and assisted on one other goal. He was involved in seven of 10 goals that Incheon scored in Se

Oct. 12, 2020

Men's nat'l football teams set for rare exhibition matches

South Korean football fans will be treated to a pair of exhibition matches between their two men's national teams this month, with the first showdown set for Friday, the Hangeul Day holiday. The senior national team will face the under-23 Olympic squad at 8 p.m. Friday at Goyang Stadium. The second match is back at the same venue next Monday, also an 8 p.m. kickoff. These are the first meetings of the senior team and the U-23 team in 24 years. The senior team boss Paulo Bento and his counterp

Oct. 8, 2020

Ahead of long-awaited matches, U-23 nat'l football coach feels alive again

PAJU -- It has been nine months since the South Korean men's under-23 national football team played a match, and for head coach Kim Hak-bum, the pair of exhibitions against the senior national team couldn't have come a day sooner. "I feel alive again," Kim said Monday after arriving at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, just north of Seoul, to open mini-training camp for his squad. The U-23 team will face the senior side on Friday and next Monday. "I think the players a

Oct. 5, 2020

Tottenham's Son Heung-min stays hot in Europa League qualifier

When you're hot, you're hot. Son Heung-min scored a goal and set up two others, helping Tottenham Hotspur past Shkendija 3-1 in North Macedonia on Thursday (local time) in the third-round qualifying match at the UEFA Europa League. Fresh off a career-best four-goal performance against Southampton on Sunday, Son set up Erik Lamela's opening goal in the fifth minute. Then with the score level at 1-1, Son netted the go-ahead marker in the 70th by pouncing on a rebound after Lucas Moura's shot.

Sept. 25, 2020

Changes at top, bottom of K League table looming

By Sunday evening, there could be a new team at the top of South Korean football for the first time in two months. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will try to overtake Ulsan Hyundai FC for first place in the K League 1 when they both take the field Sunday. By beating Ulsan 2-1 on Tuesday, Jeonbuk closed the gap to two points, 47-45. The win also snapped Jeonbuk's season-high winless skid at three. In a winnable match on Sunday, Jeonbuk will host Busan IPark, who are stuck in 10th place with 21 point

Sept. 18, 2020

Tottenham's Son Heung-min looking to build off successful season

Tottenham Hotspur's offensive star Son Heung-min will kick off the new Premier League season, looking to build off a successful campaign, in which he joined a select company of attacking aces. Tottenham's 2020-2021 season will begin against Everton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London at 4:30 p.m. Sunday (local time), or 12:30 a.m. Monday in South Korea. Son set a new career high in attacking points, with 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points in league play, and 18 goals and 12 assists for

Sept. 11, 2020

Bunched-up table setting up wild final stretch in K League football

It has mostly been a two-horse race for the South Korean club football title in 2020, but there are intriguing battles elsewhere on the bunched-up table. Ulsan Hyundai FC are at the top of the K League 1 with 46 points through 19 matches. With eight contests remaining, they lead Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, three-time defending champions, by five points. Sangju Sangmu are in third place, seven points back. Below them, the middle of the table in the 12-club league gets crowded. Pohang Steelers trai

Sept. 10, 2020

Messi fails to attend coronavirus test: sources

BARCELONA (AFP) -- Lionel Messi missed a coronavirus test at Barcelona's training ground on Sunday morning, club sources have confirmed to AFP, raising the possibility he will now boycott preseason to force a transfer. Without passing a coronavirus test, Messi will be unable to join teammates for new coach Ronald Koeman's first training session on Monday, with the start of the La Liga season less than two weeks away. Messi was due to report for testing at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday but according t

Aug. 30, 2020

Vietnam football coach Park Hang-seo honored for int'l success

HANOI -- Park Hang-seo, the South Korean head coach of the Vietnamese men's national football team, has received a state badge of honor for his accomplishments in his adopted home. The Vietnamese government bestowed the second class Order of Labor upon Park at a ceremony at the Vietnam Football Federation headquarters Thursday. This award is given to individuals with outstanding achievements in labor, creativity or national construction. Park is the first foreign national to receive a Labor O

Aug. 27, 2020

Top dogs, cellar dweller all victorious in K League

After playing their first 15 matches of the season without a victory, Incheon United have now won two consecutive matches. Just like that, their hopes of avoiding relegation from the top division K League 1 to the K League 2 next year are very much alive. The K League's cellar dweller defeated Suwon Samsung Bluewings, the club right above them in the 12-team table, by 1-0 on Saturday. Song Si-woo delivered the winning goal in the 69th, lifting Incheon to 11 points for the season. Suwon, who

Aug. 24, 2020

Korean football league adjusts fixtures ahead of Asian club tournament

The top South Korean football league announced changes to its fixtures on Tuesday, a move designed to accommodate teams playing at a continental tournament in October. The six K League 1 matches set for Sept. 25-27 will be played Sept. 15-16. Matches set for Oct. 4 will instead take place Aug. 25-26. Four K League 1 clubs -- Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, FC Seoul and Ulsan Hyundai FC -- are competing in the annual Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. The tou

Aug. 11, 2020