Stielike says door open for ‘passionate, hungry’ players

As South Korea prepares for an upcoming continental football tournament next month, Uli Stielike, head coach of the men’s national team, said Wednesday the doors to his squad are open to “passionate and hungry” players.

Stielike is scheduled to open an early training camp on Jejudo Island, in the southern part of the country, next Monday, in preparation for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, which will kick off on Jan. 9 in Australia. South Korea, seeking its first Asian Cup since 1960, has been paired with the host Australia, Kuwait and Oman in Group A.

South Korea will likely feature about a dozen players based in Europe and the Middle East, but since their leagues are still in full swing, Stielike opted to pick 28 players for next week’s camp from the K League Classic, Chinese Super League and J. League, hoping to find remaining pieces for his team.

At a press conference explaining his selections, Stielike, a former German international who took the reins here in October, said even the players not invited to the camp have a chance to make the Asian Cup squad.

“Our team needs players who are passionate and who are still hungry,” Stielike said. 

“If we can find such players, we will have to name them regardless of their age or level of experience.”

Of the 28, 15 have been on the national team under Stielike, who has coached four matches so far. Among the returnees are FC Seoul defender Cha Du-ri, who’s turned back the clock at age 34 and is a strong candidate to make the Asian Cup team; Guangzhou R&F defender Jang Hyun-soo, who captained South Korea to the Asian Games gold medal this fall; and goalkeepers Jung Sung-ryong and Kim Seung-gyu, who both appeared at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in June.

The 13 new faces include defender Rim Chang-woo of Daejeon Citizen, midfielder Lee Jae-sung of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and forward Lee Yong-jae of V-Varen Nagasaki. All three were on the Asian Games squad this year.

Stielike said he is taking 28 players, including four goalkeepers, so that he can hold an intrasquad game during the camp, which will wrap up on Dec. 21.

Conspicuous by their absence are two of the premier scorers in the K League Classic: Lee Dong-gook of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Kim Shin-wook of Ulsan Hyundai.

Both are nursing leg injuries and remain questionable for the Asian Cup. (Yonhap)