The Korea Herald

U.S. tops North in soccer

Aug 1, 2012

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Abby Wambach became the first non-British woman to score a goal at Old Trafford. She and her teammates celebrated by coercing Hope Solo to get on the ground and do “the worm.”There were other such moments unfamiliar to the venerable home of Manchester United on Tuesday, when chants of “U-S-A!” echoed for the Americans’ 1-0 win over North Korea in front of 29,522 fans ― easily the largest crowd ever to occupy the familiar red seats for a women’s game.“The worm at Old Tr
Aloof N. Koreans a mystery

Aug 1, 2012

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― The coach of the North Korean women’s soccer team sat in his chair and placed on the table a black half-inch thick notebook with the word “COACH” ― in English in huge, gray letters ― printed on the front. Beside him sat a man who identified himself as a team manager and also serves as translator, his small tan notebook and pen at the ready.Time for questions.“Do your players have any special motivation when playing against the United States, whether because they’re ran
Korea to take on Gabon for chance ...to advance in soccer

Jul 31, 2012

LONDON (Yonhap News) ― The South Korean men’s soccer team will face an undermanned Gabon side this week for a chance to reach the quarterfinals at the London Olympics.The African nation will be without starting defender Henri Endong, who was ejected on two yellow cards against Mexico on Sunday. He has been automatically suspended for his next contest.Players who receive two yellow cards, whether in the same game or over two consecutive matches, are ineligible for the ensuing match.Mexico sits at
S. Korea beats Switzerland for first win in men's football

Jul 30, 2012

South Korea edged Switzerland 2-1 for its first win in men's football on Sunday at the London Olympics.In the second Group B match at City of Coventry Stadium, Arsenal forward Park Chu-young opened the scoring and Cardiff City winger Kim Bo-kyung broke the second-half tie with a left-foot strike to give his side big three points.South Korea had tied Mexico 0-0 in the opener on Thursday. The victor
Korea lacks firepower vs. Mexico

Jul 27, 2012

NEWCASTLE, England (Yonhap News) ― Before South Korea opened the men’s soccer tournament at the London Olympics Thursday against Mexico, the patchwork defensive line was seen as the team’s Achilles’ heel. The head coach, Hong Myung-bo, acknowledged as much earlier this month.But following its scoreless draw against Mexico that started Group B action in Newcastle, South Korea appears to have an entirely different sort of problem at hand.The defense did yeoman’s work against the Latin Americans; b
S. Korea draws Mexico in football opener at London Olympics

Jul 27, 2012

NEWCASTLE (Yonhap) -- South Korea played Mexico to a scoreless draw in the opening men's football match at the London Olympics here Thursday.In the Group B contest at St. James' Park, both teams played a lackluster opening half, but South Korea began the second half with a bit more juice. In the 50th minute, winger Kim Bo-kyung curled one past the left post from the top of the arc. In the 52nd, ca
MLS stars top Chelsea

Jul 26, 2012

CHESTER, Pennyslvania (AP) ― Eddie Johnson scored in the 91st minute to give the Major League Soccer All-Stars a 3-2 victory over Chelsea on Wednesday night.Chris Wondolowski and Chris Pontius also scored goals for the MLS All-Stars at PPL Park, the home of the Philadelphia Union.Frank Lampard and John Terry scored for Chelsea, the touring English Premier League team, selected to play in the All-Star game.Los Angeles Galaxy star David Beckham received the loudest pregame ovation only hours after
Women’s soccer kicks off Olympics

Jul 26, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Olympic competition finally kicked off Wednesday, two days before the London Games’ official opening ceremony, although the joy of the first day of sport was tempered by athletics’ ruling body saying it had suspended nine track and field competitors for what it called “sophisticated doping.”The Olympics got its first security scare ― a false alarm ― with Britain’s Ministry of Defense scrambling a Typhoon fighter jet to intercept a commercial airliner too close to the London Olympic
Flag row mars N.K. match

Jul 26, 2012

LONDON (Yonhap News) ― A women’s soccer match at the London Olympics between North Korea and Colombia was delayed by about an hour Wednesday after organizers mistakenly displayed the South Korean national flag on the scoreboard.North Korean players refused to take the field after the flag row took place during player introductions at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Organizers apologized for the mishap.“Today, ahead of the women’s football match at Hampden Park, the Republic of Korea flag was shown on a
South Korea to open football tournament against Mexico

Jul 25, 2012

LONDON (Yonhap News) ― South Korea will kick off its London Olympics football tournament on Thursday against Mexico in Newcastle.St. James’ Park will be the venue for the Group B opener at 2:30 p.m. local time, as South Korea seeks to win its first Olympic medal in football. Other nations in the group are Switzerland and Gabon.It will be South Korea’s first action at this year’s Olympics, coming a day before the opening ceremony. The men’s football tournament at Olympics often begins before the
Mario Balotelli paid the highest bar bill ever at Ibiza

Jul 24, 2012

Mario Balotelli enjoys clubbing.(Twitter)Mario Balotelli spent a venue’s biggest ever bar bill as he partied at an exclusive club in Ibiza, an Spanish Island famous for clubbing.The striker of Italy and Manchester City spent thousands of pounds at the Ocean Beach Club and set a new record for the venue.Many big-spending soccer stars visited the new venue owned by Gary Lineker’s brother Wayne this
Celtic star Ki eyes England move

Jul 22, 2012

LONDON (AFP) ― South Korea’s Celtic midfielder Ki Sung-yueng admitted that he fears for the Scottish Premier League after the Rangers’ dramatic collapse and that he would be interested in a move to England.The 23-year-old has been linked with a transfer to Liverpool or QPR following the demotion of the Rangers from the top flight due to financial problems.And while he is concentrating on Korea’s Olympic Games campaign, Ki believes a move away from Celtic could help his career.“Definitely, if Ran
Park captains QPR

Jul 18, 2012

KOTA KINABLU, Malaysia (Yonhap News) ― New Queens Park Rangers midfielder Park Ji-sung was given the captaincy during his first match in the team’s uniform in Malaysia on Tuesday.The 31-year-old South Korean joined QPR last week from Manchester United.During QPR’s first preseason friendly match against the Sabah Selection XI held in Kota Kinabalu, Park played the first half in the captain’s armband, while he failed to score.QPR defeated Sabah 5-0. Currently, QPR does not have an official skipper
Park Ji-sung captains Queens Park Rangers

Jul 18, 2012

New Queens Park Rangers (QPR) midfielder Park Ji-sung was given the captaincy during his first match in the team‘s uniform held in Malaysia on Tuesday.The 31-year-old South Korean player joined the QPR last week from Manchester United.During QPR’s first pre-season friendly match against a Sabah Selection XI held in Kota Kinabalu, Park ran for the first half in the captain‘s armband, while he failed to score.QPR defeated Sabah 5-0.Currently, QPR does not have an official skipper after an internal
Man United, Liverpool, Sunderland out on tours

Jul 17, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Manchester United, Liverpool and Sunderland stepped up their preparations for the upcoming Premier League season by flying out on offseason tours across the globe Monday.Man United headed to Durban in South Africa to play AmaZulu FC on Wednesday night before going up against Ajax Cape Town on Saturday. United will then fly to China to face Didier Drogba’s new side, Shanghai Shenhua, on July 25.Coach Alex Ferguson has selected a 22-man squad for the tour, including the likes of Paul