South Korea Lacks Star Players for East Asian Cup
The East Asian Cup - East Asia's biennial football championship - will start next month, but South Korea lacks star players. The main reason is that FIFA hasn't officially recognized the competition, which will take place in Wuhan, China. Add to this the fact that clubs based in Europe are preparing for seasonal games. This means they're not required to let go of some players who might need to go home for the championship.
South Korea will have to make do without Son Heung-min, who's playing for Bayer Leverkusen, and Ki Sung-yeung, who's playing for Premier League. Coach Uli Stielike has chosen Kim Shin-wook, who is back in the field after breaking his ankle in last year's Asian Games. Reports claim that a great performance during the East Asian Cup will increase his chances of playing for England.
The coach has also selected Lee Bom-young to replace goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon, who has backed out due to a broken collarbone. Other than the two, Stielike has recruited players from the J-League and Chinese Super League.
According to him, "We'll do our best with the players we have".
Japan is in the same situation, dealing with the absence of ace players. These include Shinji Kagawa, who's playing for Borussia Dortmund, and Keisuke Honda, who's playing for AC Milan. However, Coach Vahid Halilhodzic has aces Shu Kurata and Koki Yonekura of Gamba Osaka in his line-up. He has also chosen Wataru Endo of Shonan Bellmare and Yuki Moto of Urawa Reds other than the 23 players from J-League. He looks forward to bouncing back from the frustrating draw with Singapore during the first 2018 World Cup qualifier.
While Coach Stielike and Coach Halilhodzic are a bit disappointed, the athletes set to play for the East Asian Cup are grateful. It'll give them the chance to show their skills and, hopefully, qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
On the other hand, China has an all-domestic roster, while North Korea has recruited overseas players like Japan-based An Byoung Joon and Ri Yong Jik.
