PAJU, South Korea -- South Korea football coach Shin Tae-yong said Monday the national team's primary focus will be on organizing defense in practices ahead of two crucial World Cup qualifiers.Shin's side began training with 16 players at the National Football Center in Paju, north of Seoul, for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Iran on Aug. 31 and Uzbekistan on Sept. 5. For this early call-up, which is one week ahead of the usual schedule, Shin will work with players based in the Asian

PAJU, South Korea -- South Korean footballer Kwon Kyung-won said Monday he is ready to build up a solid national team career after joining the senior squad for the first time.Kwon is one of 26 players selected for South Korea's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Uzbekistan. South Korea will host Iran on Aug. 31 and take on Uzbekistan five days later in Tashkent for the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.Kwon, 25, became the second most expensive South Korean foo

FC Barcelona's South Korean prospect Lee Seung-woo is nearing a move to Italy, a source close to the player said Monday.The source said FC Barcelona are in talks with Italian club Hellas Verona FC over Lee's transfer and added the move could be finalized sometime this week.Lee has been training with Barca's "B" team, the Spanish giants' reserve squad, but he wasn't expected to receive much playing time. With Honduran forward Choco Lozano and Brazilian attacking midfielder Vitinho having filled B

Austria-based South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan showed he is in fine form ahead of his national team duty later this month, as he scored a goal in a playoff for a European club competition.Hwang struck the opening goal in Red Bull Salzburg's 3-1 win over Viitorul Constanta in their first leg of the UEFA Europa League playoff tie at Central Stadium Hagi Academy in Ovidiu, Romania, on Friday. The 21-year-old found the back of net with his right-footed shot just two minutes after the kickoff foll

South Korean football icon Park Ji-sung said Thursday that the national team players should overcome World Cup qualifying pressure to earn good results in upcoming matches.South Korea, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, will host Iran on Aug. 31 and take on Uzbekistan five days later on the road in their final World Cup qualifying campaign. Both are considered must-win matches for the Taeguk Warriors, who are barely holding on to the last automatic qualification spot in Group A in the final Asian

The South Korea women's national football team will play friendly matches against the United States in October, the sport's national governing body said Thursday.The Korea Football Association confirmed it reached an agreement with its American counterpart to have two friendly matches in the US The two sides will first meet at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Oct. 20 (Korean time), and will square off again three days later at Sahlen's Stadium in Cary, North Carolina. The South Korean w

South Korea women's football coach Yoon Duk-yeo has signed an extension that will keep him at the helm for two more years, officials here said Thursday.Yoon, 56, signed a new two-year contract with the Korea Football Association that will see him lead the women's national football team through the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, should South Korea qualify for the tournament."I want to thank the KFA and my players for giving me an opportunity to lead the national team for two more years," he said. "

The South Korean men's national football team will face a local professional club later this month to fine-tune its preparations for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, an official with the Korea Football Association (KFA) said Thursday.South Korea will test their readiness for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers with a friendly against Suwon Samsung Bluewings at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, north of Seoul, on Aug. 26, according to the official. Suwon are currently third in th

South Korea's top sports body on Wednesday said it opposes the national football association's plan to amend articles related to the former's authority.The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee said it will not accept the Korea Football Association's decision to delete articles that will affect the relationship between the two organizations. The KFA is a member of the KSOC, which manages national sports federations and their athletes. The KFA made the decision at its senior members' assembly on Aug.

South Korean football club Suwon Samsung Bluewings' Brazilian striker Johnathan Aparecido da Silva is expected to be sidelined for at least two months due to an ankle injury, a club official said Wednesday.The official said Johnathan, currently the leading scorer in the top-flight K League Classic with 19 goals, was diagnosed with a fracture in his right ankle from the club's designated hospital, and he requires at least two months of treatment."Johnathan needs to wear a cast for a month and nee

Veteran South Korean attacker Lee Keun-ho said Wednesday he is eager to beat Iran in the upcoming World Cup qualifying match later this month.Lee is one of the 26 players selected by new men's national football team head coach Shin Tae-yong for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers against Iran and Uzbekistan. South Korea will host Iran on Aug. 31 and will take on Uzbekistan five days later on the road.In the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, South Korea are currently

Veteran football coach Kim Hak-bum was appointed as the new leader of the last-place club in the top South Korean football league Wednesday.Gwangju FC in the K League Classic announced Kim will be their new head coach, though they didn't disclose details of the contract. Kim will succeed Nam Ki-il, who offered to resign Monday in the midst of the club's poor season.Gwangju are dead last in the 12-team league with 19 points, four back of Incheon United, with four wins, 14 losses and seven draws.

South Korea must improve cohesion on their defense if they were to qualify for their ninth consecutive FIFA World Cup, their head coach said Monday.Shin Tae-yong announced the 26-man roster for the two remaining Asian qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.South Korea will host Iran in Seoul on Aug. 31 and travel to Tashkent to face Uzbekistan on Sept. 5.And given South Korea's showing so far, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out South Korea's defense needs some fin

South Korea men's football head coach Shin Tae-yong on Monday justified his selection of a few aging players for upcoming World Cup qualifiers, saying they're not just token veterans getting free rides.Shin unveiled his 26-man roster for the final two Asian World Cup qualifying matches. South Korea will host Iran on Aug. 31 in Seoul and will face Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Sept. 5.South Korea's streak of eight consecutive World Cup appearances will be at stake in those two contests, as they are b

South Korea will pin their World Cup qualifying hopes on an English Premier League star who just returned from a serious arm injury.Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min was among 26 players named to the men's national team on Monday for the two remaining qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. South Korea will host Iran in Seoul on Aug. 31 and travel to Tashkent to face Uzbekistan on Sept. 5.These will be the first official matches for head coach Shin Tae-yong, who replaced Uli St