ID :
189008
Thu, 06/16/2011 - 12:09
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https://oananews.org//node/189008
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Young midfielder key to S. Korea's Olympic success: coach
PAJU (Yonhap) - A 21-year-old up-and-coming midfielder will be the key player for South Korea in an upcoming Olympic football qualification round, the team's head coach said Thursday.
Hong Myung-bo, the bench boss for the men's Olympic squad, said Yoon Bitgaram will be asked to step up against Jordan in the home-and-away Olympic qualifying round this month. South Korea will host Jordan this Sunday at Seoul World Cup Stadium and will travel to Amman next Thursday. The aggregate score will determine the winner.
Hong noted that some key players, including midfielders Koo Ja-cheol of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany and Kim Bo-kyung of Cerezo Osaka in Japan, couldn't get permission from their teams to join South Korea. Another midfielder, Cho Young-cheol of Albirex Niigata in Japan, injured his left thigh during a league match Wednesday.
"It's unfortunate that core players are missing," Hong said at a press conference here at the National Football Center, north of Seoul. "But it's not about who's playing and who's not, it's about making the most of what we have at hand. And Yoon Bitgaram will play a pivotal role against Jordan in this round."
Hong refused to divulge exactly what Yoon will be asked to do on the pitch, saying he didn't want to give away too much.
Yoon, a nifty midfielder, was named the rookie of the year in the domestic K-League in 2010, after netting nine goals in 29 matches for Gyeongnam FC. He is also a regular member of the senior national team and has scored twice in 10 international matches.
Only players who are younger than 23 are eligible for the Olympics, but countries can select up to three players over the age limit, also called "wild cards."
South Korea beat Jordan 4-0 at last November's Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Hong said Jordan has kept its team mostly intact, and its unity and cohesion must have improved.
"I expect Jordan to take a defensive-minded approach (this Sunday) since it will be an away game for them," the coach said. "I am trying to plot strategies accordingly."
There are 24 teams in total in the second round. The 12 winners of the second round will be paired into three groups of four in the third round.
Only the top-ranked countries from those three groups will secure automatic berths to the London Games, while the winner of a three-way playoff among No. 2 seeds will enter an international playoff for a final chance to qualify.
South Korea is seeking its seventh straight Olympic appearance but has never won a football medal at the quadrennial competition. It has made it out of the first round only twice in eight appearances overall.
Hong Myung-bo, the bench boss for the men's Olympic squad, said Yoon Bitgaram will be asked to step up against Jordan in the home-and-away Olympic qualifying round this month. South Korea will host Jordan this Sunday at Seoul World Cup Stadium and will travel to Amman next Thursday. The aggregate score will determine the winner.
Hong noted that some key players, including midfielders Koo Ja-cheol of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany and Kim Bo-kyung of Cerezo Osaka in Japan, couldn't get permission from their teams to join South Korea. Another midfielder, Cho Young-cheol of Albirex Niigata in Japan, injured his left thigh during a league match Wednesday.
"It's unfortunate that core players are missing," Hong said at a press conference here at the National Football Center, north of Seoul. "But it's not about who's playing and who's not, it's about making the most of what we have at hand. And Yoon Bitgaram will play a pivotal role against Jordan in this round."
Hong refused to divulge exactly what Yoon will be asked to do on the pitch, saying he didn't want to give away too much.
Yoon, a nifty midfielder, was named the rookie of the year in the domestic K-League in 2010, after netting nine goals in 29 matches for Gyeongnam FC. He is also a regular member of the senior national team and has scored twice in 10 international matches.
Only players who are younger than 23 are eligible for the Olympics, but countries can select up to three players over the age limit, also called "wild cards."
South Korea beat Jordan 4-0 at last November's Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Hong said Jordan has kept its team mostly intact, and its unity and cohesion must have improved.
"I expect Jordan to take a defensive-minded approach (this Sunday) since it will be an away game for them," the coach said. "I am trying to plot strategies accordingly."
There are 24 teams in total in the second round. The 12 winners of the second round will be paired into three groups of four in the third round.
Only the top-ranked countries from those three groups will secure automatic berths to the London Games, while the winner of a three-way playoff among No. 2 seeds will enter an international playoff for a final chance to qualify.
South Korea is seeking its seventh straight Olympic appearance but has never won a football medal at the quadrennial competition. It has made it out of the first round only twice in eight appearances overall.
