I was just about to publish when Tim published the roster already, but since I’m done with this I might as well go with it:
It’s finally out! It’s pretty much what we expected but with two twists…
The “third wildcard” turned out to be Park Joo Ho, not Shin Hyung Min or Lee Myung Joo. A fair pick, I’d say, as he wasn’t selected for the WC and desperately needs that military exemption right now.
Also for some reason Lee Yong Jae is called up AGAIN despite not deserving it in any way, but he’s just an irrational LGJ fave, sort of like Squidoo and Lee Dong Gook. Anyway, here’s what I expect
Kim Shin Wook
Lee Jae Sung Kim Seung Dae Lee Jong Ho
or possibly
Yoon Il Rok Kim Seung Dae Lee Jae Sung
Park Joo Ho Son Joon Ho
Kim Jin Su Kim Min Hyeok Jang Hyun Soo Lim Chang Woo
or
Kim Jin Su Jang Hyun Soo Lim Chang Woo Choi Seung Geun
Kim Seung Kyu
I think the offense will be pretty good. Kim Shin Wook, Kim Seung Dae, and Lee Jong Ho are among the top scorers right now, and Lee Jae Sung is on fire for Jeonbuk. Seoul’s Yoon Il Rok is a good option as well, and so is Incheon’s Moon Sang Yoon. The CM dept will also definitely be solid as PJH and SJH are on great form for Mainz and Pohang, respectively.
The defense is where I get a little worried. Choi Sung Geun has been decent recently for Daejon in the 2nd division but the rest play abroad. I don’t even know if the other defenders are getting playing time, though it looks very very likely that KJS will be the first choice LB for Hoffenheim. And of course, I have veiled confidence in the GK spot, since KSG has played so well but then then there’s that Mexico 4-0 that keeps springing to my head..
Anyway, I’m pretty satisfied with the listing – no real surprises here. Though Son Heung Min’s presence would’ve been fcking awesome, this should be a winnable tournament. As long as LGJ rotates his players properly (the schedule is freaking insane) we should be fine.
Ah, sorry Jinseok. No one was posting about it so I went ahead. I’ll link your post to mine.
its all good dude
The draw is going to be held on the 21st or something thereabouts. There’s 30 teams this year, meaning there’s two groups of 3 teams. This schedule is crazy (so many games in such little time) so that would be a distinct advantage… although,S Korea is supposedly in Group A, and I would imagine that means we have 4 teams.
Women’s tournament has 12 teams.
Do you know why Lee Keun-Ho won’t be playing in the Asian Games?
We have too much attacking talent for Lee Keun Ho to be considered as one of the three overage wildcards. Though I do think he could have been a good pick we are more lacking in other areas, namely the one-top and the goalkeeper positions
He would be a great player, but he’s overage (this is a U-23 tournament) so he would have to get one of the three “wildcard” spots. 2 of the wild card players (Park Joo-Ho, Kim Shin-Wook) don’t have exemption (correct me if I’m wrong) and Kim Seung-gyu’s just there as a better keeper.
Lee Keun-Ho would be a great player at the level, but I don’t think he was high on the priority list as he’s doing his military service (so he can’t win exemption) and he would be taking the place of others who need the exemption.
And basically, we don’t really need him *that much* anyhow. There are other players who play his position who are on the squad, and they’re not all that bad. The wildcards ideally are used where the U-23 players don’t suffice. This isn’t one of them
Why isn’t Son Heung Min in the squad? Doesn’t he need military exemption?
oh nvm just read the youth updates. such a shame that he couldn’t go.
Not sure how to think bout Bayer’s decision. I mean, completely understandable they wanna hold on to Son for important club matches, he’s ofc integral to their high speed offense. But at the same time, depending on SK’s chances @ the Asian Games, if SK were to get gold/Son gets military exemption, his market value skyrockets.
Dunno if Son eventually leaving Bayer for the EPL is inevitable, but folks make it sound likely, so if that’s the case y not take a gamble on increasing his transfer price mebbe double? Does Bayer mebbe wanna hold onto Son for longer than expected? (In which case, milit. exemp would still b just as useful)
Anyway, looking like the nu coach likes what he sees in Son & feels he can’t do w/out, which bodes well for the upcoming season.
Honestly, I think the decision by Bayer is fairly rational. They’d lose him for several matches plus run the risk that he gets injured. They’re also likely to lose him in Jan/Feb for the Asian Cup as well. Yes, if Son got military exemption that would benefit them, but they have to win the thing, and Korea hasn’t done that since ’86. I think they simply looked at it and thought, letting him go is a big risk with a small chance for benefit. So, they chose to protect their asset.
If SK wins the Asian Cup, would that also qualify for exemption?
No. The only things that get player exempted are an Olympic medal (any color) and a gold medal at the Asian Games. Basically, no sport-specific tournament (like the World Cup or Asian Cup) earns an exemption.
Important to note that the 2002 World Cup team got exemption (I believe), so doing well in the World Cup would make a case for exemption.
Indeed, I forgot to write that. There are times when exceptions are made, but the Olympics/Asian Games are currently the only automatic competitions that earn exemptions.