S. Korea to face United States in football friendly next year

South Korean men's national football team will face the United States in a football friendly match in California next year, officials said Tuesday.

U.S. Soccer, the American governing body of the sport, announced on its website that the match will take place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, on Feb. 1 next year.

It will be the first showdown between the countries since their 1-1 draw during the group stage at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which South Korea co-hosted with Japan. Both South Korea and the U.S. have qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Coached by Hong Myung-bo, South Korea is scheduled to begin training for the World Cup in January in Brazil and in the United States. South Korea is also set to face Mexico on Jan. 30 in Texas.

The U.S. is ranked 14th in the world, 40 spots above South Korea, but South Korea leads in all-time meetings with three wins, one loss and two draws.

Through the U.S. Soccer website, the U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said South Korea will present a good test for his squad before the World Cup.

"They bring a different style of play than we have seen in the last two years, and that gives us a chance to grow," Klinsmann said. "With only two or three games left before May, this will be an important opportunity for the players who will be finishing off the January camp. The message will be the same one we start with every time we get together: we are here to win." (Yonhap News)