PAJU (Yonhap News) ― As his squad prepares to face China in the ongoing East Asian Cup tournament, South Korean head coach Hong Myung-bo on Tuesday stressed the importance of players’ movement without the ball on offense.Korea played Australia to a scoreless draw to open the regional competition on Saturday. South Korea had 21 shots on net and was in complete control from start to finish, but it failed to find the back of the net.Hong told reporters that he discovered the reason behind the team’

South Korea will host a continental football tournament starting this weekend, as the leadership of the new men’s national team head coach faces an early test.The July 20-28 East Asian Cup will bring together South Korea, Australia, China and Japan on the men’s side, and South Korea, North Korea, China and Japan in the women’s competition.The biennial round-robin tournament is organized by the East Asian Football Federation. South Korea is hosting the event for the second time. The first men’s t

LONDON (AP) ― Chelsea’s bid to sign Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been rejected by the English Premier League champion.The 27-year-old Rooney has been pushing for a move since expressing his frustration to the club about his lack of playing time at the end of last season.Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, who succeeded his fellow Scot as manager in May, have insisted Rooney was not available.But Chelsea maintained its pursuit of the England striker, culminating in a formal bid submitted

A cheering group from Japan will start entering South Korea to root for the North Korean women’s national football team that is scheduled to play in a continental tournament here, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.A total of 33 Koreans living in Japan will enter the country from Thursday to Tuesday to join the squad organized to cheer for North Korea in the July 20-28 East Asian Cup tournament.The ministry approved the entry of the group of Japanese residents holding North Korean nationality as

South Korean teenage footballer Ryu Seung-woo will join Borussia Dortmund in the top German league, a German report claimed.The online edition of Kicker, a German sports magazine, reported Monday that the 19-year-old will be the latest summer signing by the Bundesliga side. The report noted that Borussia Dortmund has yet to give an official confirmation of the move.Ryu recently represented South Korea at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, where the country reached the quarterfinals.In group stage, the win

LONDON (AP) ― IOC president Jacques Rogge defended the massive public spending on the World Cup and Olympics in Brazil, saying the world’s two biggest sports events will leave long-lasting benefits “for generations to come.”Responding Wednesday to the recent wave of protests across Brazil, Rogge said the billions of dollars being spent on next year’s World Cup and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will bring major infrastructure improvements to the country.“Public investments are for the long term

South Korea fell to Iraq 5-4 on penalties in the quarterfinals of the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup here on Sunday, coming up short of making its first semifinals appearance at the tournament in three decades.At Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri in central Turkey, two South Korean kickers failed to convert in the decisive shootout as Iraq moved on after a thrilling encounter.South Korea was seeking its first final four berth in the biennial event since 1983 in Mexico. The competition was still called the

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Manchester United continued to rebuild its coaching staff by appointing Ryan Giggs as player-coach and Phil Neville as first-team coach on Thursday in moves to try to alleviate the pressure on new boss David Moyes. The 39-year-old Giggs has spent his entire career at United since making his debut in 1991. He has been taking his coaching diplomas and is due to attain the UEFA Pro Licence. “I see this as the first step in my future career,” Giggs said. “I’m really lookin

South Korea will host football nemesis Iran in a friendly match later this year, setting up an opportunity for the Red Devils to avenge a pair of losses to Team Melli in the recently concluded World Cup qualification tournament, officials said Friday.The Korea Football Association (KFA) said South Korea will take on Iran on Sept. 6, one of several FIFA-designated international match days.The venue and the time of the match have yet to be determined, the KFA added."We couldn't really find a team

ZURICH (AP) ― Brazil has surged to ninth in the FIFA rankings after winning the Confederations Cup.The five-time World Cup winner and 2014 host fell to an all-time low of 22nd before a five-match victory streak earned the warm-up event title.World and European champion Spain tops the rankings despite losing the final last Sunday.Italy, third-placed at the Confederations Cup, climbs to No. 6. Uruguay rises seven to No. 12 after finishing fourth.Germany follows Spain, and Colombia rises four to No