Asia’s No. 1-ranked team meets the region’s most successful this weekend as Australia travel to South Korea for a friendly that marks the beginning of World Cup fine tuning for both teams.
The Seoul match is the first between Australia and South Korea since the Australians joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, following a second-round exit at the World Cup to eventual champions Italy.
Both teams finished unbeaten atop their World Cup qualifying groups to earn an automatic place at South Africa 2010.
Australia coach Pim Verbeek knows the opposition very well after a lengthy spell on the South Korean team management, assisting Guus Hiddink when the team reached the 2002 World Cup semi-finals and working again with Dick Advocaat four years later. He then stepped up to take South Korea to third place at the 2007 Asian Cup.
The Socceroos are aiming to extend a fine run of form that has moved them to No. 14 in FIFA’s rankings.
Qualification ahead of Japan and at the expense of the likes of Asian champions Iraq, as well as China and Qatar, was done comfortably and subsequent impressive friendly results, such as a 3-0 win over Ireland in Limerick last month, has excited fans and silenced the Verbeek critics who had been grumbling about pragmatic rather than pretty soccer.
“I want to win and I think every game a player comes to he wants to win,” Verbeek said. “At this moment to see some new players play, to see them play well, that gives me a lot of possibilities for the upcoming months and that makes life easier for a coach.”
Despite missing star players, such as Everton midfielder Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell of Galatasaray, it is a strong Australia squad going up against a South Korean team that is unbeaten in 25 matches.
“They have selected a good team,” Verbeek said. “There’s prestige [and] Koreans don’t like losing. They want to win at home against Australia. That makes it a very interesting game.”
Verbeek’s resignation as South Korea coach in July 2007 was partly down to the ongoing battles for players between the Korean Football Association (KFA) and the K-League.
It is ironic then that the Dutchman returns to find South Korean soccer in the middle of an especially bitter row that has completely overshadowed the clash.
Tomorrow, 14 K-League teams are in action. The league initially refused to release players to face Australia, but subsequently agreed to allow 13 players to join training two days before the international match.
Ten overseas stars arrived at the start of the week to train for two days without enough players for one full team and without any goalkeepers. At one point, coach Huh Jung-moo donned the keeper’s gloves.
Manchester United star Park Ji-sung, a player who usually keeps his opinions to himself, was not impressed.
“Declining to release players is a shame. Which league in the world runs its games on the international match day?” Park asked local reporters. “Of course, it is a matter between the KFA and K-League, but I wonder if the league is anxious to achieve good results at the World Cup.”
The whole affair has sparked furious debate in South Korea. The league accuses the KFA of breaking a promise not to hold games this weekend and announcing the Australia match barely more than a month ago. The KFA wants to use a FIFA sanctioned match day which gives coach Huh a rare chance to call his overseas players.
Japan, meanwhile, has tough tests of their own and travel to the Netherlands for matches against the No. 3-ranked Dutch at the weekend and Ghana four days later.
There was a first call-up for Italian-based Takayuki Morimoto, though the 21-year-old will miss out with an injury. The Catania striker has scored in four successive Serie A games and coach Takeshi Okada, criticized at home for ignoring the youngster, finally relented.
He may not be missed as attacking midfielder Keisuke Honda has been among the best players in the Dutch league this season, scoring five goals in the opening four games as captain of newly promoted VVV Venlo.
His performances have produced rumors of interest from English giants Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Dutch powerhouses Ajax and PSV Eindhoven. Many scouts are expected to attend the match in Enschede.
“A number of top clubs are interested in Honda. Some of them are participating in the Champions League this year,” Venlo chairman Hai Berden said.
Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, ranked 64th and 65th respectively by FIFA, have no thoughts of preparations — the two rivals are battling to become Asia’s representative in the 2010 World Cup playoff against Oceania champions New Zealand in October and November.
Both West Asian teams finished third in their respective qualification groups and meet in Manama today and in Riyadh four days later.
Saudi Arabia are aiming for a fifth successive World Cup appearance, while Bahrain are still seeking a first.
The Saudis will be favorites, but star striker Naif Hazizi tore a cruciate ligament earlier this week in a warm-up match against Malaysia and will be out of action for around eight months.
Bahrain are at full strength and at full confidence after warm-up victories over Kenya and Iran. Milan Macala has been drumming up support ahead of the game, dubbed the “Glory of the Gulf” by local media.
“We need you,” Macala said. “Your support could make all the difference — almost like an extra man on the field. I am confident the stadium will be full of fans, Bahrainis and expats, cheering us on because we really need their help.”
What of Asia’s other 2010 World Cup qualifier North Korea?
The team had to cancel a friendly, scheduled for today, in Oman after 10 of their players went down with food poisoning during a training camp in China.
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