In-form Tottenham winger Son Heung-min was tapped on Monday to lead the South Korean attack at a crucial World Cup qualifier next month.
Head coach Uli Stielike announced his 24-man roster that will take on Qatar in Group A on June 13 in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
South Korea will face Iraq in a tune-up on June 7 in the United Arab Emirates.
Son was a no-brainer choice for Stielike. The 24-year-old has just completed his most successful club career with Tottenham, having netted 21 goals in 46 matches in all competitions to set the new single-season scoring record by a South Korean in Europe. The Spurs finished in second place behind Chelsea in the Premier League.
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In this Associated Press photo taken on May 18, 2017, Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur (right) celebrates after scoring against Leicester City during the clubs' English Premier League match at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England. (Yonhap) |
Son's most recent goal for South Korea came last October against Qatar, and he will need to step up once again for a team that will have to scratch and claw for every point the rest of the way.
With three matches remaining in the six-nation group, South Korea are currently in second place, the last automatic qualification spot, with 13 points from four wins, one draw and two losses, four behind leaders Iran. Uzbekistan are right behind South Korea at 12 points.
Only the top two teams from each of the two groups advance straight to the World Cup finals, while the two third-place teams will have to go through playoffs for the right to join the other four.
South Korea, world No. 43, are trying to qualify for their ninth consecutive World Cup proper. Yet they are just clinging to hopes after a series of uninspiring matches, which have also put Stielike in hot water. All four South Korean victories have been by one goal.
Ranked 89th, Qatar have already blown a chance for direct qualification, as they're in last place with four points from one win, one draw and five losses. They still have a shot at finishing third.
In their last meeting, South Korea beat Qatar 3-2 at home, with Son netting the eventual winner in the second half.
Despite the discrepancies in FIFA rankings and Group A standings between the countries, Stielike said Qatar won't be that easy to handle for South Korea.
"We're entering an extremely critical stretch of the qualification round," Stielike said at a press conference unveiling his roster. "And Qatar have been a tough team at home. Iran and Uzbekistan only came away with 1-0 victories (in Doha). We must have a strong focus and get our precious three points. We can't afford to assume it will be an easy match."
Son is one of nine midfielders on the national team. The three forwards are: Ji Dong-won of FC Augsburg, Hwang Hee-chan of FC Red Bull Salzburg and Lee Keun-ho of Gangwon FC in the K League Classic.
On the current team, Lee has scored the most international goals with 19 in 75 matches. This is his first national team selection since the 2015 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup.
Another international veteran, Lee Chung-yong of Crystal Palace, returned to Stielike's squad for the first time since last November.
Two midfielders from Jeju United, Hwang Il-su and Lee Chang-min, have been picked for the first time. While Lee played at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics for the under-23 national team, Hwang has never represented the country at any level.
Stielike said he wanted to achieve a balance of veteran leadership and youthful energy on the squad.
"I picked some players who have been with the national team before and can provide some stability in the locker room," the coach said. "And I also wanted to go with players who have been in good form with their K League clubs recently."
In all, 10 players who were on the last national team assembled in March have been dropped for this edition. (Yonhap)
