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Reserved Park-ing?

January 23, 2014
Korea manager Hong Myung-bo, left, talks with forward Kim Shin-wook during the national football team’s practice session in Los Angeles, Thursday (KST). (Yonhap)

Korea manager Hong Myung-bo, left, talks with forward Kim Shin-wook during the national
football team’s practice session in Los Angeles, Thursday (KST).
Kore(Yonhap)Korea

Korean manager Hong Myung-bo keeps Park Ji-sung in discussion
as he prepares for Saturday’s match in L.A. against Costa Rica

By Kwon Ji-youn

Korean national football team coach Hong Myung-bo is eager to get his men off to a bright start in 2014 as they move closer to the World Cup finals in Brazil. However, his mind seems equally occupied by the one player he wants but doesn’t have.

The Taeguk Warriors will play their first friendly of the year against Costa Rica at the Los Angeles Coliseum at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Hong’s traveling squad, which has been training together in Brazil since Jan. 13, doesn’t include Europe-based players such as Son Heung-min and Lee Chung-yong, who will surely be included in the World Cup squad barring injury.

Hong, who appears to have decided on most of his starters, hopes to use the Costa Rica match and other tune-up events to fill out his reserves. The team moved to Los Angeles on Wednesday to prepare for the Costa Rica match. Korea will play Mexico on Jan. 30 and the U.S. on Feb. 2.

Since taking over the helm of management in June last year, Hong has preferred packing the midfield with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Kim Shin-wook and Lee Keun-ho alternating as the lone striker up front.

For the upcoming friendly matches in the U.S., Hong has hinted of plans to experiment with a 4-4-2 formation, which compromises the possession game in exchange for more speed on the flanks and firepower.

In this formation, Kim Shin-wook and Lee Keun-ho will be partnered upfront and supported by Yeom Ki-hoon and Lee Seung-gi on the wings. Go Yo-han and Kim Tae-hwan are the other wide attackers competing for World Cup spots.

While Hong appears to have settled with Sunderland player Ki Sung-yeung and Han Kook-young, playing for Japanese club Shonan Bellmare, as his central midfield axis, players such as Lee Myung-joo and Park Jong-woo will be trying to change his mind in Los Angeles.

Kim Jin-soo, Lee Yong, Kim Dae-ho and Park Jin-po are locked up in an intense competition at the fullback spots. Kim Young-gwon and Hong Jeong-ho have been Hong’s starting center backs and Lee Ji-nam and Kang Min-soo are trying to secure spots as reserves.

Costa Rica also seems to be taking this match to test out key local players. Korea so far has two wins, two draws and two defeats against Costa Rica.

The Park Ji-sung quandary

While Hong is eager to test many players at each position, he continues to hope that former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung will come out of retirement from international football and play for him in Brazil.

Talking with Korean journalists earlier this week, Park’s father expressed doubt that his son will ever wear the colors of his country again. Prior to a training session at the LA Coliseum on Thursday, Hong said nothing has changed about the way he thinks about Park.

“I think this is the right time to be discussing Park’s return to the national team,” he said.

Hong reiterated that he would still like to meet with Park and discuss his World Cup availability. Park retired from the national team in January 2011, and is scheduled to host a charity football match in late May or early June in Southeast Asia.