Jürgen Klinsmann reminisces about his playing days ahead of the A-League match in Busan.
The South Korean men’s national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, kicked off its call-up training in Busan on Wednesday for the June AFF World Cup. The team will face Peru on June 16 at 8 p.m. at Busan Asiad Stadium and El Salvador on June 20 at 8 p.m. at Daejeon World Cup Stadium.
The squad convened in Busan on the afternoon of the 12th and trained at Gudeok Sports Complex from 4:30pm. All 24 members of the A squad, with the exception of Son Jun-ho, were on the field from the first day.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) held a media conference prior to the training session. Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, Hwang Hee-chan, and Hong Hyun-seok were interviewed.
Klinsmann was the first to speak to the media and shared his thoughts on leading the Korean national team in Busan, a city he had visited as a player and opposing coach. “When I came to Korea, many people told me that Busan is a beautiful city, and I know that many people are hoping to host the Expo. I hope it comes true. I remember competing in Busan as an athlete at the 1988 Olympics. I’m happy to be back, and I did well (bronze medal) in that competition. It’s a new feeling,” he said.
When asked about the U20 team’s fourth-place finish at the U20 World Cup Argentina 2023, which concluded on the same day as the call-up, he said: “I want to congratulate them. The young players did a great job in Argentina. Before they took the field, I talked to them and said, ‘The national team is always changing. You never know what changes will happen. Even before this call-up, we had some unexpected injuries. It will continue to change. We’ll see how the U20s develop. The U24 team is also called up now and will play a friendly in China. We have the Asian Games in September. We’ll see how they develop and then we’ll think about the national team. It will be interesting to see how the squad evolves until the Asian Cup in Qatar and eventually the World Cup in North and Central America.”
“There were a few players. We’ll have to meet with the coaching staff and get to know them better. The important thing is for these players to come back and play consistently for their teams. Lee Kang-in is the only player from the last tournament who is now in the national team. We’ll have to see how much he plays for the team and how he develops,” he said, emphasizing the importance of consistent game time for the younger players.
Team Klinsmann strikers Hwang Eui-jo and Cho Kyu-sung found the back of the net side by side in a K League match just before joining the national team. 토토사이트 “When I go to a game, I want the national team strikers to score,” Klinsmann said. I also watched Oh’s game in person. He’s more than capable of scoring goals. I’ll give them plenty of playing time in the upcoming two games. I’m looking forward to seeing them score,” he said of the offensive competition.
When asked what factors he will look for in his best eleven, he said, “I will look at the will and passion of the players. I want the players to prove on the field how much they want to go to Qatar (Asian Cup),” he said, emphasizing his desire to win the Asian Cup.