“We Want to See Some Winning Games Now!”

Korean soccer’s `arteriosclerosis` is at serious level.

The flow of the ball through defense – midfield – offense is becoming slower and slower, and the defense line breaks down often before the opponent’s through-passes. There is growing anxiety that the Korean team is becoming familiar with `how to lose` without realizing it.

Korea lost to Uruguay by 1-2 in the evaluation match that was held in Montevideo, Uruguay, on the 14th. The Korean soccer team strived to shake off the disappointing result of 1 victory 1 tie 1 defeat at CONCACAF Gold Cup, but it is now closing its 1.5 months-long field training with dissatisfaction.

The match confirmed the team’s lack of a competent midfielder who can make accurate passes, and a playmaker who can lead the entire team in the game.

Playmaker Song Jong-Kuk was shortsighted in reading the entire game, and the defense line was especially chaotic, even if one considers that Lee Yim-Saeng and Shim Jae-Won were suddenly put into the team after a long time.

Korea repeated the nightmare as it allowed the first goal in 6 minutes after the first half. Its defense line misjudged the offside and loosened the pressure while Mario Regueiro centered the cross-pass that fell behind the defense, and Sebastian Abreu headed it into the nets.

Korea underwent a change in mood with Song Jong-Kuk’s threatening free-kick after 11 minutes, and actually managed to score a tying goal in 26 minutes as Kim Do-Hun kicked in Lee Dong-Kuk’s well-directed centering. Although Korea held the lead until the end of the first half, it failed to actualize another goal.

The ball was on the Uruguayan side in the second half. Korea enjoyed Lee Dong-Kuk’s shootings once in a while, but suffered greatly after allowing another goal to Abreu in 9 minutes until the final whistle.

The Korean team will arrive on the 16th and will leave to Spain on the 6th of next month, and have evaluation matches with Tunisie, Finland, and Turkey.

Evaluation matches

Uruguay 2 – 1 Korea

Goals = Abreu (1st half 6 minutes, 2nd half 9 minutes, Uruguay) Kim Do-Hun (1st half 26 minutes, Korea)

Keuk-In Bae bae2150@donga.com