The Korea Herald

Manchester misery: United, City fall

Sept 29, 2013

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― The two Manchester clubs fell and Arsenal moved two points clear with a win at Swansea on Saturday, extending the unpredictable start to the English Premier League.Five months after capturing a 20th English league title, Manchester United languished in 12th place in the 20-team standings after losing 2-1 at home to West Bromwich Albion in the latest setback to hit David Moyes’ troubled first season in charge.Amid its worst six-game start since 1989, United slipped eigh
Brazil eyes fringe benefits from Asia visit

Sept 27, 2013

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) ― Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said the door is still open for fringe players to force their way into his World Cup plans as he revealed his squad to face South Korea and Zambia in October friendlies.Scolari will be without experienced goalkeeper Julio Cesar and defender Thiago Silva, who are both injured, for the game with South Korea in Seoul on Oct. 12 and against Zambia, three days later in Beijing.In Cesar’s absence, Scolari’s 23-man squad includes Atletico Mineiro
Brazil to bring top guns to football friendly vs. S. Korea

Sept 27, 2013

Five-time World Cup champion Brazil will bring most of its top guns to an upcoming football friendly against South Korea.FC Barcelona forward Neymar will headline the 23-man roster for the world No. 8 Brazil, which will visit Seoul World Cup Stadium on Oct. 12 for its fifth meeting against South Korea. Brazil has won three of the four previous matches between the teams.At a news conference, head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said he was looking forward to having Neymar's services up front."It is int
United spoils Suarez’s Liverpool return

Sept 26, 2013

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Manchester United ruined Luis Suarez’s long-awaited return from a 10-match ban for biting by beating Liverpool 1-0 in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday, relieving some early-season pressure on manager David Moyes.Javier Hernandez showed a poacher’s instinct to volley home deftly 39 seconds into the second half as United advanced despite fielding a largely second-string team against its fierce rival at Old Trafford.Suarez came closest to equalizing for Live
Torres on target as Chelsea ...advances

Sept 25, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― Fernando Torres made the most of a rare Chelsea start Tuesday by scoring one and setting up another in a 2-0 victory over third-tier club Swindon in the League Cup, while Manchester City and Tottenham advanced with stylish wins.Torres slotted in from close range in the 29th minute, and then wriggled through the defense six minutes later before slipping the ball through to Ramires to dink the ball into the net.“For the players who have not played in the last few matches it was good
FC Seoul to host Esteghlal in semis

Sept 24, 2013

FC Seoul will try to become the fifth straight South Korean soccer club to reach the final of the AFC Champions League, as it opens the two-leg semifinals against Esteghlal of Iran at home this week.FC Seoul will host the Iranian club at Seoul World Cup Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Wednesday. The second leg will be held on Oct. 2 at Azadi Stadium in Tehran.The aggregate score after the two legs will determine who will reach the final at the top Asian club football competition. The away goa
Football coach to stick to principle when building national team

Sept 23, 2013

National football head coach Hong Myung-bo reiterated on Monday he will build his roster only with players in regular action on their respective pro clubs, insisting that he won’t make any exceptions for certain players.Hong returned home following his 10-day trip to England, where he watched and met South Korean players in English leagues.Four South Koreans are with English Premier League clubs: Kim Bo-kyung of Cardiff City, Ji Dong-won and Ki Sung-yueng of Sunderland, and Park Chu-young of Ars
Park Ji-sung gets goal, assist in PSV’s win against Ajax

Sept 23, 2013

Midfielder Park Ji-sung of Dutch Eredivisie league’s PSV Eindhoven scored the second goal of the season along with an assist on Sunday, lifting his team to a 4-0 victory against Ajax.The South Korean played 90 minutes for the first time since he transferred to his current team, brushing off concerns among his fans that his recent injuries and fatigue might put a strain on his play at the new team.Eindhoven started off strong with Tim Matavz and Jetro Willems scoring the first two goals of the ma
Barcelona beats Rayo 4-0 to stay perfect through 5

Sept 22, 2013

BARCELONA (AP) ― Pedro Rodriguez scored three goals and Victor Valdes saved another penalty in Barcelona’s 4-0 win at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, keeping the defending Spanish league champions perfect through five rounds.Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesday’s 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League.The Spain forward has five goals this season, maki
Chelsea halts slide; Liverpool’s unbeaten start ends

Sept 22, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― Chelsea finally won and Liverpool finally lost on Saturday.And, after five matches, Everton remains the only side unbeaten in the English Premier League.Chelsea had been reeling from its worst start during the decade of Roman Abramovich’s ownership, but second-half goals from Oscar and John Obi Mikel secured a 2-0 victory over Fulham.The win put Chelsea on top ahead of Sunday’s games, dislodging Liverpool, which was beaten 1-0 at Anfield by Southampton. “I understand at this moment
FC Seoul looks to reach semifinals for first time

Sept 17, 2013

FC Seoul will look to reach its first semifinals at the top annual Asian club soccer competition as it readies to host a Saudi Arabian side this week.The South Korean club will bring Al Ahli of the Saudi Professional League to Seoul World Cup Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Wednesday for the second leg of their quarterfinals series at the AFC Champions League.In the first leg played in Saudi Arabia last month, the teams played to a 1-1 draw. FC Seoul can reach its first AFC semifinal with a v
FC Seoul looking to reach AFC Champions League semifinals for first time

Sept 17, 2013

FC Seoul will look to reach its first semifinals at the top annual Asian club football competition as it readies to host a Saudi Arabian side this week.The South Korean club will bring Al Ahli of the Saudi Professional League to Seoul World Cup Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Wednesday for the second leg of their quarterfinals series at the AFC Champions League.In the first leg played in Saudi Arabia last month, the teams played to a 1-1 draw.The aggregate score after two legs will determine
Son says pressure off Bayer

Sept 16, 2013

BERLIN (AFP) ― South Korea’s Son Heung-min has said the pressure will be off Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday at Manchester United with coach David Moyes under the spotlight in his first Champions League match. Son says Leverkusen has little to lose with the focus on Moyes at Old Trafford as he begins the next chapter in United’s proud European history having succeeded the legendary Alex Ferguson.“The mood is good in the Bayer squad and we don’t have much to lose in England,” the 21-year-old striker
Everton ends Mourinho’s unbeaten return to Chelsea

Sept 15, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― Jose Mourinho endured his first Premier League loss since returning to Chelsea, and Manchester City was frustrated in a draw at Stoke.For Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham, however, there were routine victories as the league swung back into action for the first time since the transfer window closed in the international break.Samuel Eto’o failed to make an immediate scoring impact on his Chelsea debut as Steven Naismith gave Everton a 1-0 win.Naismith headed into the net from
Nat'l football coach Hong Myung-bo departs for England to check players

Sept 13, 2013

National football head coach Hong Myung-bo on Friday departed for England to watch South Koreans in action, saying he will try to watch and meet everyone in the Korean contingent there. Hong is scheduled to return on Sept. 23. In August, he flew to Germany to see three South Korean players in the top-tier Bundesliga.Currently, four South Koreans are with English Premier League sides: Kim Bo-kyung of Cardiff City, Ji Dong-won and Ki Sung-yueng of Sunderland, and Park Chu-young of Arsenal.Two more