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South Korean captain Son Heung-min collected his 127th cap for the national team Tuesday, moving into a tie for fourth place on the country’s all-time list.

Son was in the starting XI for the host South Korea in their World Cup qualifying match against China at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Son is now level with former left back Lee Young-pyo.

Two retired legends, Cha Bum-kun and Hong Myung-bo, are tied atop the rankings with 136 caps.

The match against China is the final Group C contest for both countries in the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

With 13 points from five matches, South Korea have already clinched the top spot in the group and thus a ticket to the third round, which kicks off in 커뮤니티 September.

After South Korea defeated Singapore 7-0 last Thursday, Son, who turns 32 in July, said: “Physically, I am feeling better than ever. I’d love to play even better football going forward.”

Son netted two goals in that rout to reach 48 for his international career. He sits two goals behind former striker Hwang Sun-hong for second place on the all-time rankings.

Cha leads the way with 58 goals.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in scored for his second straight match, as Korea defeated China 1-0 at home Tuesday to conclude the second round in the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Lee netted his 10th international goal in front of 64,935 fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the final Group C match of the second round in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) World Cup qualification.

Korea had already clinched the top spot in their group, and also a ticket to the third round, after beating Singapore 7-0 last Thursday. 토토 China, on the other hand, needed at least a draw to reach the third round without needing help from other teams.

China hung tough for 60 minutes, frustrating Korean attackers with their suffocating defense, before Lee finally broke the ice just past the hour mark.

All 10 of Lee’s goals have come in the past 15 matches.

Korea struggled to unlock the Chinese defense in the first half, despite spending the majority of the opening 45 minutes in the opposing zone.

Unable to find shooting lanes with a series of passes, Korea needed some individual brilliance from captain Son Heung-min to generate looks. In the 20th minute, Son cut in from the left wing toward the center in his signature move, before sending a low shot easily saved by goalkeeper Wang Dalei.

Son won a free kick outside the box in the next minute, but his spot kick ricocheted off a Chinese defender before landing on the top of the net.

With the second round of the World Cup qualification in the books, Korea will resume their search for the new head coach for the men’s national team.

Korea played their final four matches in the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup under two different caretaker managers: Hwang Sun-hong for two contests in March and Kim Do-hoon for two more this month. They had three wins and one draw in those four matches, capped by a 1-0 victory over China on Tuesday night in Seoul.

Korea qualified for the third round with ease, and the next phase kicks off in September. Over the next couple of months, the Korea Football Association (KFA) will look to fill the coaching vacancy on the men’s squad, a task now long overdue.

The KFA sacked the previous head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, on Feb. 16, in the aftermath of Korea’s semifinal loss at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup. With little time left before Korea’s next set of games — two World Cup 스포츠 qualifying matches against Thailand on March 21 and 26 — the KFA settled on Hwang Sun-hong, then head coach of the men’s under-23 national team, as the temporary bench boss.

The KFA then began its coaching search in earnest in early April, announcing that it planned to interview 11 candidates. Chung Hae-sung, the top KFA official in the searching process as head of the National Teams Committee, said the goal was to name the new head coach by early May or the middle of May at the latest.

And by the end of April, the KFA had narrowed down the list of candidates to three — all of them foreign nationals. Though the KFA didn’t publicly disclose those names, it was a poorly-kept secret that Jesse Marsch, former Leeds United head coach, was in the running.

Son Heung-min, captain for both the Korean men’s national football team and Tottenham Hotspur, has revealed he is “uncomfortable” with media speculation on his next destination.

“I have not had any exchanges with the club. I don’t have anything to say at this point,” Son told reporters after Korea’s 1-0 win over China in a World Cup qualifying match at Seoul World Cup Stadium Tuesday night. “I feel a little uncomfortable with the situation. I am going to keep doing my best for Tottenham. I still have terms left on my contract.”

Son is signed through June 2025 with Spurs, but English media have speculated that the North London club could part ways with their 한국을 Korean star as part of their rebuilding. Some reports even had Son moving to the Turkish club Fenerbahce and rejoining former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho.

Son signed his current contract in July 2021, and Spurs reportedly have the option to extend the deal by an extra year.

Last summer, Son was linked to a move to Saudi Arabia on a lucrative deal. But after a friendly match at home, Son told reporters: “Money is not important to me. The most important thing is to play in a league that I enjoy playing in. I have so much more I want to accomplish in the Premier League.”

Spurs finished this past season in fifth place with 66 points, two back of Aston Villa for fourth and a place in the UEFA Champions League for next season. Son led his club with 17 goals and tied Brennan Johnson for the club-high 10 assists. 

A German media outlet that has often been critical of Kim Min-jae has reported positive news for the first time in a long time.

“Kim Min-jae is like a new man,” the German ‘TZ’ reported on July 21 (KST). The Bayern Munich center back, who had a rough debut season, is once again reminiscent of a monster.”

Since joining the Bavarians from Napoli last summer, Kim Min-jae has started every game for the Bavarians, even amidst controversy at the start of the season. It was not until the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup that he began to lose his place in the starting lineup. Tuchel’s preference for the defensive combination of Eric Dier and Matthijs de Ligt meant that Kim was often on the bench, and he was eventually relegated to the bench in the second half of the season.

Luckily, he’s now ready for a new challenge. Munich parted ways with Tuchel and appointed Vincent Kompany as their new coach. However, he’ll still have to fight for a starting spot. Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier, along with Dayo Upamecano, new signing Hiroki Ito, and Josip Stanisic, who has returned from a loan spell at Leverkusen, will have to compete for two center back spots in the back four.

There is a lot of anticipation to see if he will be at his best once again. First of all, Kim didn’t have a proper preseason last summer due to military training and joining a new team. This season, however, he entered the preseason well-rested.

In addition, Kim hasn’t made any transfers this season and is 파워볼사이트 preparing for the new season with his current club. Throughout his career, which has taken him to Fenerbahce, Napoli, and Munich, Kim has had to adapt to new teams every season. This season, however, will be a continuation of the last.

In training, he has already won Kompany’s heart. “Kim has changed both in appearance and on the pitch,” says TZ, ”He arrived at the start of pre-season with a short haircut. He has also impressed in training with his straightened appearance.”

“It’s also a good fit with Coach Kompany. He gave a big thumbs up to Minjae Kim’s bid last Wednesday. The people who are watching him closely are also very positive about him. “They’re saying, ‘The hungry defense monster is back,’” he added.

He is also reportedly helping his rival Hiroki Ito adjust. Ito is a Japanese center back who joined Munich this summer from Stuttgart. “Ito is also adapting with the help of Kim Min-jae. In Asian cultures, it is customary for older players to help younger ones. The two were spotted together in the city center near the hotel where Ito is currently staying. Kim Min-jae wants to help his teammates as well as himself,” he thumbs up.

The Samsung Lions’ new foreign-born hitter, Ruben Cardenas, has emerged as the team’s belly button.

The Samsung Lions rallied from a 4-5 deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning to win 6-5 at home against the Lotte Giants of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea, on Wednesday, thanks to Cardenas’ game-tying two-run homer over the left-field bleachers and into the outfield. It was Samsung’s second straight win and kept them within one game of second-place LG Twins.

Samsung was outplayed by Lotte throughout the game. Lotte opened the scoring in the top of the first inning on Victor Reyes’ RBI single to center field. After Samsung tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second on a solo home run to left by Kang Min-ho, Lotte scored three runs in the top of the fourth on a two-run homer by Na Seung-yup, a double by Park Seung-wook and an RBI single by Yoon Dong-hee to take a 4-1 lead.

Samsung scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth on Cardenas’ RBI double to cut the deficit to 3-4. However, Lotte took advantage of a Samsung error in the top of the eighth inning to score a run and regain the lead at 5-3.

However, Samsung turned the game around in the bottom of the inning. After scoring a run in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by pinch-hitter Yoon Jung-bin, Cardenas hit a dramatic come-from-behind two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to win the game, 4-5.

Cardenas, who joined Samsung for the second half of the season, went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the win. In three games since his KBO debut, he is 6-for-15 토토사이트 with a .400 batting average, two home runs and five RBIs.

In Daejeon, the top-ranked KIA Tigers defeated the Hanwha Eagles 8-7 behind a come-from-behind three-run homer by Choi Hyung-woo. KIA’s recent six-game winning streak has kept them within 6.5 games of second-place LG, further consolidating their lead at the top of the standings. Ninth-place Hanwha, on the other hand, fell to its seventh straight loss.

Kia trailed 5-7 heading into the eighth inning. However, in the top of the ninth, Choi Hyung-woo hit a come-from-behind three-run homer off Hanwha closer Joo Hyun-sang to complete a dramatic comeback.

At Jamsil Stadium, the LG Twins defeated the Doosan Bears 6-3 to extend their winning streak to five games. With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, LG scored three runs on three hits and three walks against Doosan’s bullpen to secure the win. LG starter Son Joo-young went seven innings, striking out five and allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits to improve to 7-5 on the season.

In Incheon, the bottom-ranked Kiwoom Heroes snapped a six-game losing streak with a 7-2 come-from-behind victory over the SSG Landers. Kiwoom took a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning on Ronnie Dawson’s grand slam and Choi Joo-hwan’s solo home run to right-center in the top of the ninth. Kiwoom starter Ariel Hurtado pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits to improve to 9-5 on the season.

In Suwon, the NC Dinos defeated the KT Wiz 8-2 behind home runs from Kim Hwijip and Park Gun-woo. NC moved up one spot to fifth, while KT saw its six-game winning streak come to an end.

“Sorry to fans, we will turn it around in Seoul”

Incheon United’s acting head coach Byun Jae-seop apologized to fans and asked for more support.

Incheon United lost 1-4 to Suwon FC in the 24th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at the Incheon Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21. Incheon is now in ninth place with 25 points (W5 D10 L9).

Incheon got off to a bad start. In the 16th minute, the defense lost the ball due to a poor passing choice, and Kang Sung-yoon’s subsequent shot led to the first goal. Incheon was shaken. In the 28th minute, they lost concentration on a corner kick and conceded. In the 33rd minute, they conceded another goal, but the video review ruled it offside. Incheon scored a late goal by Mugosa in the second half, but there was no comeback. Instead, they conceded two more goals and lost 1-4.

After the game, acting head coach Byun Jae-seop said, “I have nothing to say. It’s unfortunate that we had a good preparation, but a small mistake ruined everything. I think our opponent was very well prepared. I think there were a lot of things we lacked,” said Byun after the match.

On this day, acting head coach Byun Jae-seop used center midfielder Shin Shin-ho as a flanker. The aim was to increase ball possession, but it didn’t work. The ball didn’t go to the flanks and Shin was isolated.

Byun Jae-seop said, “(Until now) we were playing a pattern of playing fast players up front and looking for space in the back, so we tended to lose the ball quickly. On the other side, we deployed players who can possess and link up, and that part didn’t work.”

Incheon was prone to mistakes on defense. The goals they conceded came from poor passes and poor ball handling. “The buildup at the back was short, as was the 메이저사이트 preparation. It seems to be an adjustment period. We’ll keep trying, even if we make mistakes. We’re going to keep pushing, even if we make mistakes.”

Incheon is desperate to get out of the bottom half of the table. Their next opponent is rival FC Seoul. Seoul has been playing well lately. It’s a tricky opponent for Incheon. “I think we need to make some changes,” said acting head coach Byun Jae-seop. We’re going to make changes in terms of player composition and tactics. No matter how much we talk about it, it’s not enough. We’ll show it on the pitch.”

Just before the end of the press conference, acting coach Byun Jae-seop said he had something to say. “Lastly, I’m sorry for the fans who supported us so hard today. The players are doing their best and trying their best. Please don’t just watch one game today and support us a little more, and we will turn it around against Seoul. We will work together with the players. Please support us. I’m so sorry,” he added.

Doosan bullpen traffic still needs to be sorted out

The Doosan Bears dedicated a weekend series to their ‘Jamsil rivals’, the LG Twins. In a tightly contested game, the bullpen was activated in the sixth inning to tilt the momentum. The bullpen rotation is still a work in progress, as is traffic organization.

On July 21, Doosan lost 3-6 against LG in Jamsil. With their second straight loss, Doosan remained in fourth place in the league with 49 wins, two ties, and 46 losses on the season. The gap with the fifth-place NC Dinos has narrowed to just one game.

LG had a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the second inning when Kim Hyun-soo doubled down the left field line. The next batter, Park Dong-won, hit a five-pitch 139 km/h fastball from Choi Won-joon for a two-run homer to left field that traveled 115 meters.

After pitching well through two innings, LG starter Son Ju-young faltered in the third. In the top of the third, LG gave up back-to-back singles to Jung Soo-bin and Ramos and a single up the middle to Jeon Min-jae.

Son Ju-young gave up an infield single to leadoff hitter Kang Seung-ho in the top of the fourth and then committed a throwing error to put runners on first and third. She then gave up an RBI single to left field to Yang Seok-hwan to tie the game at 2-2. In the top of the fifth, Son gave up singles to Cho and Jung Soo-bin to put runners on first and third with one out. He then gave up a grounder to Ramos to make it a 3-2 game.

LG rallied back in the bottom of the fifth inning when leadoff hitter Park Hae-min singled to right, stole second and advanced on a groundout. Hong Chang-ki followed with an RBI grounder to shortstop to tie the game at 3-3.

With momentum on their side, LG turned the game around in the bottom of the sixth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, LG loaded the bases with back-to-back singles by Austin and Moon Bo-kyung and a walk by Park Dong-won. Shin Min-jae drew a full-count, six-pitch walk against Lee Young-ha. Park Hae-min followed with an RBI single up the middle against reliever Hong Gun-hee. In the next at-bat, Hong Chang-ki drove in a run on a wild pitch.

In the top of the eighth, Doosan had runners on first and second with two outs after an error and Kang Seung-ho singled to left. However, Kim Jae-hwan struck out swinging against reliever Yoo Young-chan to end the threat.

Doosan took some pressure off its bullpen on the day, as starter Choi Won-jun threw 70 pitches through five innings. The Doosan bench brought in Hong Gun-hee and Lee Kyo-hoon from the bullpen with runners in scoring position in the bottom of the third inning, but a failed double steal kept Choi in the game.

The Doosan bench had to make a defensive choice in the bottom of the sixth inning. The first option was to keep Choi, who had only thrown 70 pitches. Instead, the Doosan 카지노사이트 추천 bench sent Lee Young-ha to the mound. Choi had retired Austin on a fly ball and a swinging strikeout in his first two at-bats, but with the tying run on base, the decision seemed to be made out of concern for the long-hitting Austin.

After giving up back-to-back singles to Austin and Moon Bo-kyung, Lee struck out Kim Hyun-soo on a wild pitch to end the inning. Facing Park Dong-won was the next big game. However, Young-ha gave up a walk to Park to load the bases with one out.

Facing the opposing left-handed batting lineup of Shin Min-jae, Park Hae-min, Ahn Ik-hoon, and Hong Chang-gi, the Doosan bench could have considered bringing in left-hander Lee Byung-heon. However, Doosan stuck with Lee Young-ha, who gave up a pushing grounder to short. The next task was to minimize the gap to one run. The Doosan bench again brought in Hong Gun-hee instead of Lee Byung-heon. Hong gave up an RBI single to Park Hae-min and a pushing grounder to Hong Chang-ki, but it was not enough.

The three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning changed the course of the game. Trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Doosan brought in Byung-heon Lee late, who retired the center field lineup of Austin, Moon Bo-kyung, and Kim Hyun-soo on just eight pitches in a clean three-hit shutout inning.

In other words, the Doosan bench chose to use their bullpen early in the sixth inning to minimize bullpen depletion by keeping Choi Won-jun, who threw just 70 pitches, in the game. Next, the decision to go with Lee Young-ha and Hong Gun-hee instead of a lefty from the start of Shin Min-jae’s at-bat proved costly. Then, with the team trailing by three runs, Lee Byung-heon, who has the most appearances on the team, was brought in at the end of the seventh inning, which was a disappointing choice in terms of batting order.

It wasn’t as if the bullpen was conserved by keeping the starting pitcher on the mound for a long time, nor was it as if the bullpen, including the left-hander, was used to prevent the reversal in the defensive contest at the end of the sixth inning. As a result, the bullpen was used up and the team was left with a three-run deficit.

Furthermore, Hong Gun-hee and Lee Kyo-hoon, who had warmed up in the third inning, took the mound in the sixth and eighth innings, respectively. The bench plan to use Lee Young-ha as the eighth-inning set-up man was recently discussed after Choi Ji-kang was sidelined with an injury, but on this day, the bullpen traffic seemed to be disorganized in many ways. The chaos resulted in Doosan’s ninth straight loss on Sunday this season.

When I opened the lid, the Middle East was powerful. Initially, only traditional powerhouses Iran and host Qatar were on alert. However, two-port dark horses evolved into powerful sandstorms with overwhelming home advantage. 메이저사이트

It seems that Japan is also quite embarrassed. Japanese media outlet “Football Zone” diagnosed the current situation on Monday, saying, “Is Japan’s true enemy Middle East power? We cannot be relieved to avoid a match between Korea and Japan in a tournament.”

Japan was the first victim of an unexpected incident at the Asian Cup. It lost to Iraq 1-2 in the second Group D qualifying match on the 19th. It was considered to be an insurgency in Iraq, but Jordan also showed off the power of a “Middle East” by holding back Korea on the 20th. Korea did not lose like Japan, but managed to score an equalizer at the end of the second half to take one point.

Japan has already failed to rank No. 1 in its group. Iraq is confirmed as No. 1 in its group. Korea has a chance to rank No. 1, but Group E is in a mixed race to the point where it could drop to No. 3. Jordan is leading Group E.

“Japan failed to advance to the top spot. The match against Iraq was a Super Away match. About 38,000 Iraqi supporters entered the match. Japan allowed two runs in the first half alone. The cheers of Iraq continued to resonate. I could feel the pressure of Iraq on the ground and the pressure of away games outside the pitch,” he recalled.

The football zone was worried that the nightmare of the Iraq match would be repeated in the round of 16. The zone said, “Japan struggled against Iraq. Iraq, which boasts 1:1 strength and speed, focused on side blockades, destroying Japan’s strengths. Japan suffered a historic defeat. Japan may meet Korea in the round of 16, but it must also be wary if it encounters a Middle Eastern powerhouse Jordan again.”

Japanese midfielder Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco) said, “We have many experienced players, but we have to overcome this atmosphere. We have to read the game. It is very important to fight in the Asian Cup.” The Football Zone said, “Only when we calm down the atmosphere in the Middle East can we exert our power. Japan under Coach Hajime Moriyasu, who is preparing to take another leap forward, will surely overcome it.”

Jung Woo-young renewed his contract for 320 million won, which was reduced by 80 million won from 400 million won last year. Most of the LG players’ salaries have increased significantly as a reward for winning the championship, but Jung Woo-young became the team’s biggest cut player due to his poor performance last year.

Jung Woo-young, who joined LG in the second round of the rookie draft in 2019, received a rookie salary of 27 million won and won the Rookie of the Year in his first year as a professional, playing in 56 games (65 ⅓ innings) with a 3.72 ERA with 4 wins, 6 losses, 1 save and 16 holds.

Jung Woo-young, who won the Rookie of the Year award, was raised to 80 million won in annual salary in 2020. He continued his stellar performance in his second year without jinxing. In 2020, he pitched in 75 innings in 65 games, recording an outstanding performance with 4 wins, 4 losses, 5 saves, 20 holds, and an ERA of 3.12.

In 2021, his salary increased by 100 million won to 180 million won. In 2021, he pitched in 70 games (65 innings) and recorded 7 wins, 3 losses, 2 saves, 27 holds, and an ERA of 2.22. He received another annual salary increase of 280 million won in 2022. Jung won the title of hold king in 2022 with two wins, three losses and a 2.64 ERA in 35 holds in 67 games (58 innings). His salary in 2023 jumped to 400 million won.

Jung’s main weapon is two-seam fastball with a maximum speed of 157 kilometers per hour. He pitched a ratio of two-seam to 92 percent in the 2022 season, and won the hold king with just one two-seam. However, batters in the league gradually adapted to Jung’s two-seam style. As more and more slivers were made due to two-seam and cuts, Jung struggled to counter batters. During the season, he tried new pitches such as splitters and curves with the advice of manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, but failed to find a breakthrough at once.

The number of holds increased every year for the fourth year in a row since his debut, but he took a step back for the first time. Eleven holds are the minimum since his debut. The ERA in the four-point range is also his first. His annual salary, which he had to pay up to 400 million won, was cut for the first time.

Although his salary was cut, he gained a lot. He also won the Korean Series and won the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Jung played for five seasons until last year. If he plays for two more seasons, he can try to play abroad through posting. 파워볼사이트

This is why the 2024 season is important. We need to recover our sluggish performance last year and regain our position as the best setup man. As opposing hitters have adapted to pitching depth, they need to increase the utilization of other breaking balls such as splitters, curves, and sliders, not two-seam one-pitch. The power of pitching depth of up to 157 kilometers can be revived.

Meanwhile, before the start of the spring camp in February, Jung Woo-young will depart first for the spring camp in Arizona, USA, on the 20th for self-training.