South Korea Team Page
Squad
Coach: Cho Dong-Hyun
Roster:
Goalkeepers: Kim Jin Hyeon, Lee Jin Hyung, Jo Su Huk
Defenders: Choi Chul Soon, An Hyun Shik, Bae Seung Jin, Ki Sung Yueng
Midfielders: Lee Chung Yong, Kim Dong Suk, Park Hyun Bem, Lee Hyun Seung, Song Jin Hyung, Park Jong Jin, Park Joo Ho, Shin Kwang Hoon, Jeong Kyung Ho , Lee Sang Ho
Forwards: Lee Sung Jae, Ha Tae Goon, Shin Young Rok, Shim Young Sung
Scouting Report
Strengths: South Korea boasts a strong defence – it conceded a mere four goals in eight qualifying games – and opponents will have a hard time breaking down their well-organized back-line. Unlike their Asian counterparts at this tournament, South Korea boasts two dangerous scoring threats in forward Shin Young-rok and Shim Young-Sung. Coach Cho Dong-Hyun has plenty of playing and coaching experience, and is an astute tactician.
Weaknesses: South Korea has been placed into a difficult group with tournament favourites Brazil, Poland and the U.S. They also lack pedigree in this competition. Their best result was a fourth-place finish in 1983 and they have not advanced beyond the group stage since reaching the quarter-finals in 1991. Shin Young-rok and Shim Young-Sung account for most of the goals, so if teams can shut them down, South Korea's attack will stall.
Player to watch: Shim Young-Sung is considered one of the most promising young strikers in Asian soccer after he finished as the top scorer at the recent Asian Youth Championship with five goals.
Prognosis: This summer will mark South Korea's 10th appearance in the tournament, but the Asian powerhouse has historically underachieved – aside from a fourth-place finish in 1983. Expect the South Koreans to make a run this time around, though. Led by coach Cho Dong-Hyun, the South Koreans' up-tempo, quick-passing game will serve them well against teams such as Poland and the U.S. who play a more methodical game. Look for South Korea to finish second in their group or advance to the second round as one of the four third-place place teams. Once they get out of the opening round, you can expect the South Koreans to pour it on and use their speed in possession and feverish ball movement to dazzle opponents.
ROAD TO THE U-20 WORLD CUP
2007 qualification route: By finishing third at the Asian Youth Championship in India in November 2006, South Korea earned a berth in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.
Qualifying record: 8 games played, 7 wins, 1 loss, 0 draws
Goals for: 34 Goals against: 4
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Shim Young-Sung (5)
Qualifying results:
First group stage (Group M) in South Korea
Nov. 23, 2005 – South Korea 13, Mongolia 0
Nov. 27, 2005 – Hong Kong 0, South Korea 2
Finals (second group stage) in Kolkata, India - (Group A)
Oct. 29, 2006 – South Korea 3, Jordan 0
Oct. 31, 2006 – Kyrgyzstan 0, South Korea 7
Nov. 2, 2006 – South Korea 3, India 0
Quarter-finals
Nov. 6, 2006 – South Korea 2, Australia 1
Semifinals
Nov. 9, 2006 – South Korea 2, Japan 2 (Japan wins 3-2 in penalty kick shootout)
Third-place match
Nov. 12, 2006 – South Korea 2, Jordan 0
U-20 World Cup 1st round matches (all times local)
June 30 vs. USA in Montreal (Olympic Stadium) at 17:00
July 3 vs. Brazil in Montreal (Olympic Stadium) at 19:45
July 6 vs. Poland in Montreal (Olympic Stadium) at 19:45
U-20 WORLD CUP HISTORY
South Korea's best result at a FIFA U-20 World Cup came in 1983 when it reached the semifinals and finished a surprising fourth. Although they have never repeated that accomplishment, South Korea is an Asian powerhouse, finishing third at the 2006 Asian Youth Championship in India.
Number of previous U-20 World Cup Appearances: 7
All-time record: 23 games played, 6 wins, 3 draws, 14 losses
Goals for: 24 Goals against: 45
Biggest victory: 4-2 vs. Mali in 1999, 2-0 vs. Germany in 2003
Biggest defeat: 3-10 vs. Brazil in 1997
Hosted the U-20 World Cup: never
1977 – First round
1979 – Did not qualify
1981 – First round
1983 – Semifinals (4th place)
1985 – Did not qualify
1987 – Did not qualify
1989 – Did not qualify
1991 – Quarter-finals
1993 – First round
1995 – Did not qualify
1997 – First round
1999 – First round
2001 – Did not qualify
2003 – Second round
2005 – First round
