LOS ANGELES (Yonhap News) ― Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the South Korean men’s national football team, reiterated on Wednesday that he still hopes to speak to former captain Park Ji-sung about coming back for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, despite recent developments that put his return in doubt.
South Korea is training in Los Angeles this week in preparation for three tune-up matches in the United States: first against Costa Rica in LA on Saturday, then Mexico in San Antonio next Wednesday and then the home team U.S. in Carson, California, on Feb. 1. All three opponents will play at the World Cup.
Yet the talks of Park’s potential return to the national team have dominated the training camp that began in Brazil last week.
Earlier this month, Hong first said he’d like to sit down with Park to listen to the player’s thoughts. Park, who retired from international play in January 2011, has frequently said he would not be back with the national team. Hong said, however, that Park has never told him that directly, and even said there was a possibility that the 32-year-old could play for South Korea in a friendly match against Greece on the road on March 5.
The player’s father, Park Sung-jong, said on Wednesday in South Korea that the midfielder will host a charity football match in late May or early June in Southeast Asia, only days before the national team is scheduled to travel to Brazil in preparation for the World Cup.
That likely ruled out the return of the veteran of three World Cups, but the head coach said his plan hasn’t changed.
“I am sticking to what I have said before (about meeting Park),” Hong told reporters before the start of the training session at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. “I believe this is the right time to discuss his comeback.”
Hong also said he didn’t want further distractions for his squad.
“I don’t have much more to say about Park Ji-sung other than what I have already said before,” Hong added. “I hope to stay focused on the players we have here now and on upcoming matches.”
Hong has selected players from the leagues in South Korea, Japan and China for the camp, with European clubs under no obligation to release their South Korean players for the occasion.
South Korea typically deploys about a dozen players from Europe in international matches and is expected to do the same for the World Cup. That would leave about a dozen or so spots for players based in Asia. The current camp is seen as the last opportunity for such players to make an impression on Hong.
For the three matches in the U.S., Hong said he plans to put in players “who will have a shot at making the World Cup team,” adding that these games will provide a good test.
