The second voyage of the Klinsmann has begun. The Europeans, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Mallorca), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos), who just finished their seasons, were in high spirits. K-Riggers such as Cho Kyu-sung (Jeonbuk) and Hwang Eui-jo (Seoul) also gathered under the Taegeuk mark.
Jürgen Klinsmann, the head coach of the A team, started his first training session on the 12th at Gudeok Stadium in Busan. The A team will play two friendly A matches against Peru at the Busan Asiad Stadium on the 16th and El Salvador at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 20th. Klinsmann drew 1-1 in the two A matches in March. At the time, he had just taken over the reins and named a team with members from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This is his “first real job”.
The high ground is clear. It’s the Qatar Asian Cup, which kicks off next January. South Korea, which hasn’t been crowned champion since winning back-to-back titles in the inaugural edition in 1956 and the second edition in 1960, will be looking for its first Asian title in 64 years. Klinsmann attended the draw last month. Klinsmann’s men were drawn in Group E alongside Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain.
The two A-match series in June are the start of the Asian Cup. Klinsmann was all smiles, but he had some hard words for his players: “I want them to prove on the pitch how much they want to go to Qatar. They need to show their passion and commitment to win the Asian Cup,” he emphasized. “It’s a tough time for overseas players after the season. On the 메이저놀이터 other hand, it’s a good time for the ligers to play a lot of games and be physically fit,” he said, adding, “I told the players before they came out, ‘The national team is always changing. We don’t know what changes are coming,” he said.
Hwang Hee-chan, who trained with Son Heung-min at Paju NFC before the call-up, said, “The goal is to win every game. I want to show fun soccer while winning,” he said, adding, “The coach has given me a clear goal, and I’ll do my best to reach it.”
A new wind is also blowing. Hong Hyun-seok (Ghent), Ahn Hyun-beom (Jeju), Park Yong-woo (Ulsan) and Park Kyu-hyun (Dynamo Dresden) made their first appearances for the A team. “I want to be remembered as a player who works really hard when I play, and I want to score offensive points,” said Hong.
Klinsmann played a friendly against South Korea in Busan in 2004 when he was the head coach of the German A team. South Korea defeated Germany 3-1 in a match that featured some of their most elite players, including Michael Ballack and Oliver Kahn. During his playing days, he played for Busan at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Germany won the bronze medal. “I’m very happy to be back in Busan,” Klinsmann said. I heard that Busan is a beautiful city. I’ve heard that they’re trying to get an Expo, and I hope that comes true.”