Korea-Japan team to face world all-stars

South Korea's top striker Choi Yong-Soo, 27, and Romario of Brazil, 34, (Vasco de Gama) will make a showdown of the new century in a friendly match between Korea-Japan all stars and world's all stars.

Opening the first year of the 21st century, the top players from co-hosts of the 2002 World Cup and the world will clash at the Yokohama International Stadium, the sites of the World Cup finals, at 7 p.m., on Jan. 3.

The Korean Professional Football League (KPFL) Sunday announced the list of the players for the historic match, which includes the top stars of the World Cup co-hosts and other countries.

The goodwill match is expected to feature a festival of individual skills of the players, rather than the teamwork of the players from different countries and teams.

But what draws Korean soccer fans' concern is the contest between Choi and Romario.

Cho, who had his second heydays since the final Asian preliminaries in 1997 for the 1998 France World Cup as the MVP of the K-League with 14 goals and setting up for goals 10 times, has surged to become a trademark scorer representing Korea and Japan as he was to move to Jeff United Ichihararo for a total of 3.2 billion yen.

Homario is an undisputed world star. As the top scorer in the 1994 United States World Cup, he led his team to win the coveted trophy of the soccer extravaganza, and was honored as the Player of the Year of FIFA, the world soccer-governing body, that year. The Yokohama match also will feature the showdown between the goalies who get goals -- Kim Byung-Ji of Korea (Hyundai) and Chilavert of Paraguay (Strasbroug of France).

Matthaus of Germany (Metrostars of U.S.), who has the world record of playing A matches most at 150, also will heat up the atmosphere in the stadium.

Other world's top players to play in the match include Italy's Robert Baggo (Brescia of Italy) and Davor Suker (Westham of England) of Croatia. Ariel Ortega of Argentina also makes the world's all star team.