WORLD CUP / U.S.A.
June 18, 2018
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 7
Son Heung-min key to South Korea
avoiding second candy attack
By Kim Tong-Hyung and Stephen Wade
The Associated Press
S
EOUL, South Korea — Progress for South Korea’s
players will be avoiding being pelted with candy
again on their return from the World Cup.
After enduring three poor performances by the team in
Brazil four years ago, soccer fans were waiting at Incheon
International Airport to make their anger felt.
If collecting a solitary point in a group containing
Russia, Algeria, and Belgium was tough, the challenge
looks even more daunting this time with World Cup
champion Germany, Mexico, and Sweden in Group F.
The road to Russia offered few signs of progress.
In the third round of Asian qualifying, South Korea
picked up only two points from five away games to leave a
place at a ninth successive World Cup looking uncertain.
Coach Uli Stielike was fired and Shin Tae-yong was
drafted as a replacement to get the squad over the line
with two tense goalless draws.
As the players celebrated in Uzbekistan, there was
criticism at home that the party was undeserved given the
unconvincing performances.
To add to the concerns for Shin, his team has also been
thinned by injuries to important players like wingers
Yeom Ki-hoon and Lee Keun-ho, and fullback Kim Jin-su.
All three missed the trip to Russia, along with several
others.
That puts pressure on young and unproven players such
as midfielder Lee Seung-woo.
The most important players on the team are playmaker
Ki Sung-yueng and Tottenham striker Son Heung-min.
Lee Jae-sung scored South Korea’s only goal in a 1-3 loss
to Bosnia-Herzegovina at Jeonju on June 1, a farewell to
fans on home soil. It was a worrying result.
The country has become accustomed to World Cup
qualification since the 1982 failure and there is a desire to
see more appearances in the knockout stage. Only twice
have the Taeguk Warriors advanced from their group, in
2002 when they made the semifinals on home soil and in
2010 when they reached the round of 16.
This is South Korea’s ninth straight World Cup.
Enthusiasm at home seems to be lacking for this team,
partly due to the results, and no doubt overshadowed by
the recent summit between Donald Trump and North
Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un.
Here’s a closer look at the South Korea team:
Coach
Shin Tae-yong took the job in July 2017 and did just
enough to qualify.
Shin likes to surprise tactically and he has experience in
large tournaments — with the under-23 team at the 2016
Olympics and at the 2017 Under-20 World Cup. In both
events, South Korea advanced through the group stage
before being eliminated in the first game of the knockout
round. Shin may back off on his attacking game and focus
on defense in Russia.
Goalkeepers
South Korea still lacks a top-line goalkeeper. Vissel
Kobe goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu is the No. 1 but could get
competition from Jo Hyeon-woo and Kim Jin-hyeon.
Defenders
Shin is not averse to a three-man defense but usually
opts to use four.
South Korea is traditionally strong in the fullback
position with Lee Yong strong on the right. Kim Min-woo
should be on the left with the injury to the other
Rare tick inexplicably
turns up in Arkansas
Tu Phan
Call for:
Refinances
Purchases
Offering:
FHA/VA/Conventional
Mortgages
NMLS # 2289
MLO # 7916
12817 S.E. 93rd Avenue
Clackamas, OR 97015
(503) 780-6872
TAEGUK WARRIORS. Son Heung-min, left, and Moon Seon-min,
right, members of the South Korean national team, attend a practice in
preparation for the 2018 World Cup, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Korea
Republic opens the tournament in Nizhny Novgorod against Sweden on
June 18, followed by Mexico on June 23. South Korea will rely on getting
points from those games before closing out Group F against Germany on
June 27. (Photo by Mike Kireev/NurPhoto/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)
competitor for the spot, Kim Jin-su. Both can get forward
and attack.
Jang Hyun-soo is one likely starter in central defense
with the other spot up for grabs.
Midfielders
Ki Sung-yueng is the captain and the center of the
attack. The other central midfield spot could go to fullback
Park Joo-ho, who has been effective there at times.
Another midfielder to watch is Barcelona youth
academy player Lee Seung-woo.
Forwards
The challenge will be to get the best out of Son
Heung-min. At times, the Tottenham forward has been
featured on the left, as a second striker, and as a lone
striker.
It looks as if Son will start as part of a two-pronged
attack with the other forwards vying to partner him.
Group games
South Korea opens in Nizhny Novgorod against Sweden
on June 18, followed by Mexico on June 23. South Korea
will rely on getting points from those games before closing
out Group F against Germany on June 27. None of South
Korea’s group games are in St. Petersburg, where the
team is based.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Vissel Kobe), Kim
Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka), Jo Hyeon-woo (Daegu FC)
Defenders: Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande),
Jang Hyun-soo (FC Tokyo), Jung Seung-hyun (Sagan
Tosu), Yun Young-sun (Seongnam FC), Oh Ban-suk (Jeju
United), Kim Min-woo (Sangju Sangmu), Park Joo-ho
(Ulsan Hyundai), Hong Chul (Sangju Sangmu), Go
Yo-han (FC Seoul), Lee Yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
Midfielders: Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea), Jung
Woo-young (Vissel Kobe), Ju Se-jong (Asan Mugunghwa
FC), Koo Ja-cheol (Augsburg), Lee Jae-sung (Jeonbuk
Hyundai Motors), Lee Seung-woo (Hellas Verona), Moon
Seon-min (Incheon United)
Forwards: Kim Shin-wook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors),
Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Red Bull
Salzburg)
To learn more, visit <www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams>.
Authentic Thai cuisine
Special-roasted Thai coffee and tea
Curry dishes, Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, and more
Vegetarian substitutions – tofu or seitan – available on all dishes
Costs of Snowden leak still
mounting five years later
Traditional Polish cuisine
Specialties: Pierogi, kielbasa, blintzes,
stuffed cabbage rolls, and more
By Hannah Grabenstein
By Deb Riechmann
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
L
ASHINGTON — Is Edward Snowden a
whistleblower, traitor, leaker, or public
hero?
The National Security Agency (NSA) contractor blew
the lid off U.S. government surveillance methods five
years ago, but intelligence chiefs complain revelations
from the trove of classified documents he disclosed are
still trickling out.
That includes recent reporting on a mass surveillance
program run by close U.S. ally Japan and on how the NSA
targeted bitcoin users to gather intelligence to combat
narcotics and money laundering. The Intercept, an
investigative publication with access to Snowden
documents, published stories on both subjects.
The top U.S. counterintelligence official said journalists
have released only about one percent taken by the
34-year-old American, now living in exile in Russia, “so we
don’t see this issue ending anytime soon.”
ITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A hardy species of tick that
survived a New Jersey winter has inexplicably
arrived in Arkansas, and entomologists are trying
to figure out how.
The Longhorned tick is native to eastern Asia, but was
discovered in New Jersey last August and again this
spring. Others were later found in Virginia and West
Virginia, but no one can explain how one showed up on an
Arkansas dog.
Oklahoma State University researchers confirmed the
discovery and the Arkansas Agriculture Department are
warning ranchers to monitor livestock.
Ticks can spread disease in animals and humans.
Overseas, severe infestations have stunted growth in
cattle and caused enough blood loss that some cattle died.
At press time, health departments in Arkansas and
New Jersey said they had not found any disease-bearing
Longhorned ticks so far.
<tu.phan@fairwaymc.com>
<www.LoansNow.com>
W
Killingsworth Station
Food Cart Pod
Experience a collection of
food carts featuring a variety
of international flavors!
Beer, wine & mimosas available
1 Siam Kitchen
Hash it Out
Specialties: Corned-beef hash & Pulled-pork sandwiches
“The Wrap” w “The Vegan” w “The Reuben” w and more
Breakfast dishes served until 4:00pm
Green City Smoothies
Specialties: Healthy, plant-based smoothies, toast & oatmeal.
All menu items feature locally sourced seasonal
fruits and vegetables and nutritious superfoods.
La Puerta
Salvadorian cuisine
Specialties: Pupusas, Tamales, Carne Asada, Fried Plantains
Bark City BBQ
Specialties: Banana pudding, milkshakes, Texas brisket
Try our “Pitmaster’s Nap” – Beer-link smoked turkey,
pulled pork & ribs, choice of 2 sides, and cornbread
Rose City Slammin Sandwiches
Specialties: Empanadas, Cuban sandwiches,
Arroz con gandules (rice & beans)
Euro Dish
Tehuana Mexican Oaxican cuisine
Featuring Mole Enchiladas, Tacos, Burritos & more
Best new Mexican Burrito/Taco Food Cart
in Portland (Willamette Week, 2016)
1331 N. Killingsworth Street, Portland
(1 block east of N. Interstate Avenue)
ASTHMA
IS
ON
THE RISE.
Help us find a cure.
1-800-LUNG-USA
TALKING STORY IN
ASIAN AMERICA
n Polo
Polo’s “Talking Story”
column will return soon.