Korea v Belgium U17 World Cup Round of 16: Wed Oct 28

Chile U17 World Cup group stage done: Finishing top of Group B crowded with the likes of England, Guinea and Brazil – check.  Fastest timeframe in which a team from this particular country advanced to the next round in an international tournament- check. Zero goals conceded – check. A squad oozing with balanced talent -so much so that a particular Barcelona academy standout has contributed to the team effort but not getting the crucial goals that advanced the team – check. What team has checked these milestones? (Re) introducing the 2015 U17 Korea squad. Their Round of 16 opponents have been identified after the group stage dust has settled. The 3rd best in Group A, C and D that Korea will battle on Wednesday: Belgium.

We’ll be adding this this post (any writers can pile on) but I’ll get the ball started by posting just the bare bones so you can plan on tuning in:

Round of 16: Korea v Belgium at Estadio La Portada, La Serena

WEDNESDAY OCT 28 at 7pm US EST / THURSDAY OCT 29 8am Korea Time

TV / Internet broadcasting:

Tentatively the game will broadcast in the US on FOX Sports 2 but the channel is not confirming yet which R of 16 game they’ll cover – Nigeria v Australia being the other at the same time.  Streaming options will definitely include FoxSoccer2go

SBS and KBS will broadcast the game in Korea.

And in case you missed it, Steve Price at the Tavern wrote about the buzz surrounding this U17 squad and what it may portend for the future of the KNT: Are the U17’s part of a bright future for Korean football? 

Jinseok earlier talked about the possibility of Korea strategically ending up as runner ups in Group B – but as he acknowledged – probably a dangerous strategy and a course that ultimately Korea didn’t pursue.  As it turns out, Brazil, despite 2 wins, wound up with runner up status (thanks to an electrifying upset loss to Korea).  The path ironically is easier for Brazil as they play their R of 16 against New Zealand (a surprising group stage performance for the Kiwis). Jinseok documented Korea’s roster changes against England in a scoreless draw to rest some of their starters including Lee Seung-Woo.

Ex Tavern contributor Jae Chee has been translating post match reports for the KFA on their English language mirror site. Click here for his translated post match report for the Korea v England match.

Jae implored on twitter for english language supporters of the Taeguk Warriors to come by the KFA’s English page frequently to convince the KFA on the vital need to keep translating it’s reports and articles in english. The world wants to read and hear more about hanguk chugu – let’s go!!!

Extra Time: North Korea also qualified for the R of 16 -they face off against Mali while Australia survived to reach the next round.