“I’ve been with the national team for more than four years.”
South Korea national soccer team central defender Park Ji-soo 토토사이트 (Portimonense) spoke about the absence of Kim Min-jae (Napoli) and Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan) ahead of the team’s training session at Gudeok Stadium in Busan on Wednesday. The national team will face Peru in Busan on Sept. 16 and El Salvador in Daejeon on Sept. 20. Kim Min-jae and Kim Young-kwon, the core of the central defense, were not part of the squad due to basic military training and injury, respectively.
Park Ji-soo was dropped from the squad last year after injuring her ankle in an exhibition match against Iceland just before the start of the World Cup in Qatar. Park said, “Honestly, I don’t think Minjae and Youngkwon can replace him. I think I can compete with them if I appeal to my strengths,” Park said.
Four central defenders – Park Ji-soo, Jung Seung-hyun (Ulsan), Kim Joo-sung (Seoul), and Park Kyu-hyun (Dynamo Dresden) – were named to the squad. Park Ji-soo and Jung Seung-hyun have played 14 and 11 A-match caps, respectively. Kim Joo-sung has only played one match, and Park Kyu-hyun has no caps. National team coach Jürgen Klinsmann even used a combination of Park Ji-soo and Park Kyu-hyun for tactical training on the first day of the call-up. An official from the Korea Football Association said, “Coach Klinsmann is thinking of different combinations as all the main central defenders are missing,” adding, “He will decide who will play in the trial after observing the training situation.”
National team captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) is not expected to play against Peru after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia. An official from the Korea Football Association said, “Son Heung-min underwent surgery in England on the 30th of last month for a mild sports hernia,” adding, “He needs a recovery period of about two weeks, but he is showing a strong will to play in these two trials.”
A sports hernia is a condition in which the abdominal wall, the muscle layer that supports the intestines, becomes weak or torn, causing pressure to push the intestines out of the abdominal wall. It usually occurs when the abdominal wall is torn due to repetitive motion. Son Heung-min has been commuting to the Gyeonggi Paju National Training Center (NFC) for recovery training since the fifth day before his call-up. The condition is reportedly mild, but Klinsmann will monitor Son’s recovery before deciding whether or not he can play.