National team coach Jürgen Klinsmann applauded his sons’ performance. Now he wants the older brothers to show they deserve to play at the Asian Cup, where they hope to win the title.
The national team returned to Busan after a long absence. The team was eager to get Klinsmann’s first win in Busan.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by Klinsmann, gathered in Busan on the 12th. As the players arrived at Gudeok Stadium, their training ground, a crowd of elementary, middle, and high school students cheered as if they were about to leave.
South Korea will play two matches during the June A matches. They will play Peru on June 16 at the Busan Asiad Stadium and El Salvador on June 20 at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium. In the past, the national team has convened at the Paju National Training Center, but this time, the team will meet directly in Busan, where the Peru match will be held.
It will be the first time in four years that an A match will be played in Busan since the June 2019 match against Australia. Klinsmann also has a special connection to Busan. Klinsmann played a friendly against South Korea in Busan in December 2004 when he was in charge of the German national team. Prior to that, he had visited the city as a player.
“I’m very happy to be back in Busan,” Klinsmann told reporters before the training session. “Besides being a coach, I remember playing here as a player at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. It’s great to be back here.”
Klinsmann was clearly encouraged by the Korean U-20 team’s performance, referring to the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023, which concluded earlier in the day. “I want to congratulate the young Taeguk Warriors, they did so well in Argentina,” Klinsmann said. “When I arrived at the stadium and before they stepped on the field, I told them, ‘The national team is always changing. You don’t know how it’s going to change, and you don’t know what’s going to come next,'” he said. We’ll have to see how much better our U-20s play and how they develop in the future.” It was an indirect message that age doesn’t matter as long as you’re good.
The 24 players, including European and domestic players such as captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Mallorca), who returned from the season, were in good spirits. The intensity of the first training session was light, but the players’ enthusiasm was high. This is because Klinsmann’s firm philosophy has been instilled in them. “I want them to prove to themselves on the field how badly they want to get to the Asian Cup (in Qatar next January),” Klinsmann said, “and I want to see that passion, determination and commitment in these two games.”스포츠토토
The players are eager to make their mark on Klinsmann and earn their first victory on the Klinsmann as part of their preparation for the Asian Cup. Klinsmann set sail in March and failed to win any of his trials against Colombia (2-2) and Uruguay (1-2).
Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) said: “We want to play a fun game and win. We will give the fans a win.”
