[월:] 2024년 09월

After sustaining a bruise to his left rib on an errant pitch last week, SSG Landers third baseman Choi Jeong will likely resume his chase of the all-time Korean home run record this week.Choi pulled into a tie with former Samsung Lions star Lee Seung-yuop last Tuesday with his 457th career home run in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). But Choi suffered that rib injury the very next day when he took a two-seam fastball from Kia Tigers starter Wil Crowe to his left side in the bottom of the first inning at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, just west of Seoul.

Choi exited the game with what Landers officials initially called a broken rib. After Choi underwent further tests the following day, the Landers said Choi had suffered a rib contusion, not a fracture.The Landers did not place Choi on the injured list, as the Landers enjoyed a six-game homestand last week. Choi even took some light swings during batting practice 커뮤니티 Sunday and, according to Landers manager Lee Sung-yong, came out of the session pain free.”He told me he’d try to get ready to play Tuesday, but we’ll have to see how he feels that day,” Lee told reporters Sunday. “If he takes harder swings, he may still feel some pain. It’s hard to say at this point exactly when he’ll be ready to come back.”

After playing all six games at home last week, the Landers will open the new week on the road in Busan, some 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, with a three-game series against the Lotte Giants.They will come home again Friday to host the KT Wiz for three games starting Friday.While Choi was on the sidelines, his teammate Han Yoo-seom passed him to take the lead for this season with his 10th home run on Sunday.The next home run will give Choi the all-time record and also extend his double-digit home run streak to a record 19 seasons.Choi, 37, made his KBO debut in 2005 and has hit at least 10 home runs in every year since 2006. He has topped the KBO in home runs three times — 2016, 2017 and 2021

Korea defeated Japan 1-0 in their final group stage match at the Olympic men’s football qualifiers in Qatar on Monday, extending their winning streak to three as they gear up for the knockout phase.Substitute Kim Min-woo headed home the match’s lone goal in the 75th minute of the final Group B match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha, and sent Korea into the quarterfinals with an unblemished record.

Both teams had already secured their quarterfinals berths as the top two teams of Group B by winning their first two matches. They were fighting for the top seed Monday. As the winner of Group B, Korea will face Indonesia, the Group A runner-up, in the quarterfinals at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha. The kickoff is 8:30 p.m. Thursday local time, or 2:30 a.m. Friday in Korea.Coached by Hwang Sun-hong, Korea earlier defeated the United Arab Emirates 1-0 and then China 2-0.

It will be the first must-win match of the competition for Korea as they try to extend their Olympic appearance streak to 10. This AFC tournament doubles as the qualifying event for the Paris Olympics. The top three teams — the two finalists and the 토토 winner of the third-place match — will grab tickets to France, with the fourth-place team taking on Guinea in an intercontinental playoff later. This means Korea will have to reach at least the semifinals to have a shot at earning an Olympic spot.

Indonesia, coached by former Korea boss Shin Tae-yong, lost to Qatar 2-0, but later defeated Australia 1-0 and Jordan 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.The Korea-Japan showdown was scoreless after an uneventful first half, with neither team registering a shot on target despite some dangerous-looking forays into the opposing boxes.Korea had one close call in the 44th minute, when Hong Yun-sang took a right-footed shot inside the six-yard box as he fell down but missed the net to the right.

Having bagged a crucial win at home, Korean champions Ulsan HD FC will now visit Japanese foes Yokohama F. Marinos this week as they chase their first Asian club football title in four years.Ulsan and Yokohama will square off in the second leg of the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Yokohama International Stadium in Yokohama, Japan.Ulsan won the opening leg last week at home by 1-0, with midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong’s 19th-minute goal providing the difference.Ulsan just need to avoid a loss Wednesday, and they will punch their ticket to the two-legged final next month. The away goals rule is no longer in effect, and extra time and a penalty shootout will be used to determine the winner if necessary.

For the knockouts, teams have been split into East and West regions. Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates defeated Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia 4-2 in the first leg of the semifinals in the West Region last week, with their return leg set for Tuesday night in Riyadh. Ulsan have won two AFC Champions League titles, most recently in 2020, when they defeated the Iranian 스포츠 side Persepolis 2-1 in the one-and-done final match.They have since collected two domestic trophies, winning the K League 1 titles in 2022 and 2023. And their “three-peat” bid is off to a solid start this year, as they rank third with 14 points, three back of the league-leading Pohang Steelers but with one match in hand. Ulsan lead all clubs with 16 goals in seven matches.

Lee Dong-gyeong has been involved in 10 of those goals, with six goals and a league-best four assists. He was the lone goal scorer in last week’s win, and Ulsan will look to other attackers to step up their game.Forward Joo Min-kyu netted three goals in the round of 16 but has been held off the scoresheet since. The two-time K League 1 scoring champion is a threat to go off at any moment, though.Ulsan’s Hungarian forward Martin Adam leads Ulsan with five goals for this year’s Champions League, but all five came during the group stage.At the other end, goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo has been sharp in the knockout stage, having conceded only two goals in five matches.

A classroom in Gwanak District, Seoul, buzzed with the energy of young gamers on Thursday with both students and instructors focused intently on the fine art of using a computer mouse, a seemingly simple yet crucial tool. This wasn’t just any classroom—it was a professional videogame player training academy. Here, mastering the use of a mouse is considered the first step toward competing in games where reaction times are measured in milliseconds.

Here, understanding the proper grip and movement of a mouse is taught with precision and detail, sometimes consuming over an hour of instruction. This foundational skill is crucial in a field where even a fraction of a second can distinguish between victory and defeat. By 6 p.m. daily, groups of middle and high school students gather here after school, their faces set with determination, dreaming of becoming the next esports champions. For instance, 16-year-old Kim Seung-hyun practices up to 15 hours a day, asserting his commitment, “I am definitely pursuing this path.”

The esports industry’s growth has led to increased academies dedicated to training professional gamers. With esports continuously expanding and even becoming an official part of the Asian Games, more teens are entering these academies with dreams of debuting as professional gamers, much like youngsters seeking out talent agencies to become idols. However, becoming a professional player today requires more than just gaming skills. Due to the global nature of competitions and the increasing number of international fans, proficiency in foreign languages is now essential.

For instance, middle school student Eom Jong-hwan has been attending English classes since early this year in preparation for joining an international team or competing abroad in first-person shooter games like Valorant. Moreover, physical fitness and character are also important. Another student, Lee Da-sol, 15, balances intense gaming sessions with four 한국을 weekly gym visits to strengthen his back muscles necessary for long gaming sessions. Group living skills are also honed in these academies, with some students like Shin Jung-woon, 18, undergoing communal living training to foster teamwork and cooperation skills prized by large esports teams during selection processes.

Despite the rigorous training, the reality is that very few make it to the professional level. The competitive nature of the games and the relatively short career span of players make it challenging to secure a spot on a pro team. Coach Choi Seong-min, a former Battlegrounds player, emphasizes the slim chances of making it big in esports, saying, “The probability of succeeding as a pro gamer is just 0.1 percent.” He advocates for students to explore diverse career paths as alternatives.

As the number of trainees increases and the starting age drops, there is a growing call for proper guidelines to support the aspirants’ “second life” in case they do not succeed in esports. Professor Kim Jung-tae from Dongyang University’s game sStudies department said, “It’s not wise for primary and secondary students to jump into becoming a professional gamer without a Plan B,” adding “There needs to be delicate communication between parents and children, and guidelines that ensure they do not lose interest and passion in their school education.” Choi also suggests quickly assessing students’ potential and guiding those with less likelihood of success towards other career paths, maximizing their skills in more viable directions.

The Korean men’s basketball team had a 1-1 record in two away warm-up matches against the Japanese men’s basketball team on July 5 and 7. 메이저사이트

The match was more worrisome than expected. Japan, which will participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics, has reorganized its organizational structure and displayed proper capabilities through warm-up matches with world powers, while Korea was an improvised team that trained only four days ago.

Contrary to expectations, the team showed good performance. It has completely overcome the frustrating framework of its consistent performance through mismatches and post-attacks at the Asian Games last year. Led by guards Lee Jung-hyun, Yoo Ki-sang and Oh Jae-hyun, the team staged fast and explosive attacks and robust defense activities to counter the speed and space basketball that Japan has been working on for a long time.

Lee Jung-hyun, the main striker, has confirmed that he has the capacity to become the ace player of the national team beyond his team (Koyang Sono), and has also seen his potential against Yoo Ki-sang (Changwon LG) and Lee Won-seok (Seoul Samsung). A good performance is bound to be well received. The fans’ response was enthusiastic, and the media also complimented him, saying, “I saw the hope of Korean basketball.”

Stop repeating the past
However, we should not forget that we have already seen hope several times over a long period of time. The same was said in the late 2000s when Jeong Young-sam, Yang Hee-jong (retired) and Oh Se-geun (Seoul SK) made good performances for the national team, won the gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, and when they were praised as “KORden State” under coach Hur Jae in 2017, they were armed with hot 3-point shooting basketball.

“Korean basketball, I saw hope.”

It has been more than 15 years since he had been touting “hope” for hope. Now is the time to move on to the next stage. It is time to realize hope and possibility. To this end, the team should give its members, who will lead the team for 10 to 15 years, an opportunity to accumulate experience. They should not be blinded by their performance in two warm-up matches. The team will be disbanded after playing in only two matches.

What’s scary about Japan is its experience. Whether at a competition or an exhibition game, Japan clashed with a world basketball powerhouse every year, expressing its fear of them.

Japan’s ultra-short guards, including Yuki Togashi, who is 167 centimeters tall, and Yuki Kawamura, who is 172 centimeters tall, show confidence in themselves as they have encountered strong opponents, run into countless barriers, and overcome limitations. In an exhibition match against Korea, Kawamura had no fear of Korean players who were far bigger than himself. He had experiences with far stronger players at last year’s World Cup basketball.

Korea, like Japan, needs momentum to drive growth of young players. If Lee could see beyond Korea the qualifications of being the best guard in Asia, he should meet European, South American and North American players and give them an opportunity to face a wall to seek growth.

“I thought Japan was strong, but once I did it, I thought we could do it enough,” Lee said at the Incheon International Airport on Tuesday. “Honestly, I wish that Rui Hachimura (LA Lakers) would play. There are not many chances to encounter NBA players. If we play against a stronger team, our players will be able to unite. In that sense, it is regrettable that we did not participate in the William and John’s Cup. I have said a lot that it would be better for the players to play more games as members now.”

A naturalized player is a must
Korea played without a naturalized player in the exhibition game. This is because his contract with Ra Gun-ah has ended. There is no alternative for now. Players, coaching staff, and the association all know the need for a naturalized player.

“Seeing a naturalized player (Josh Hawkinson) from Japan made us feel the need even more,” said coach Ahn Jun-ho, who led the Korean national team. “We absolutely need a naturalized player (a naturalized player). Recruiting naturalized players is a trend that every country is making. I hope there is a naturalized player that suits our team’s color.”

This is up to the Korea Basketball Association, which is in charge of managing the national team. The biggest problem is money. “We need a naturalized player to achieve our goal of advancing to the 2028 LA Olympics and the 2032, far from Australia Olympics,” said Jeong Jae-yong, vice chairman of the association. The association is also aware of the importance. Budget is the biggest issue. We plan to come up with diverse measures and discuss with the KBL as well.”

“The KBL also provided a lot of help in convening the national team this time. We will establish a cooperative system and make a strong national team,” he said.