Team Korea Will Play Angola Next

Korea’s national soccer team will play an evaluation match against Angola on March 1 at 8:00 p.m. at Sangam World Cup Stadium, Seoul.

“It will be an interesting match. Angola is a team that can be compared to Korea’s main round opponent, Togo. It will give me many ideas on how to play against Togo,” said Team Korea’s manager, Dick Advocaat.

Ranked 60th by FIFA, Angola is a first-time World Cup main round contender that beat traditional African powerhouse Nigeria in the regional preliminary competitions. Although Angola had shown strong teamwork and tenacity in its regional preliminaries, it dropped out early in the recent African Nations Cup soccer tourney after displaying poor goal-making ability.

Team Angola is led by “miracle man” Louis Oliveira Gonzales. After leading Angola to victory in the African Youth Championships, Gonzales was hired in the middle of World Cup preliminary play and led the team into the World Cup main round.

Akwa a Major Threat-

The most noteworthy athlete on Angolan team is Fabrice Akwa. Akwa scored five goals in preliminary matches, and these five goals greatly influenced the team’s victories. Flabvio, who scored two goals in the preliminary, is another player to watch. Although it does not have many international soccer stars, Angola has players who are capable of holding their own in a game.

For Team Korea, Lee Young-pyo and Park Ji-sung will play in the Angola match. Observing how these two will affect the team’s teamwork that has been built through a month of overseas training will be the main point of the match to watch. Lee will play as left wingback, while it is still not known whether Park Ji-sung will be playing as a midfielder or a side attacker.

Park Could Play Midfield-

Advocaat did not disclose any details, saying, “Park Ji-sung will play the most suitable role for him.” However, there is a possibility that Park Ji-sung will play a supportive role as a midfielder since the team’s designated attackers are in good shape.

Advocaat announced that he will use a 4-3-3 formation against Angola, making it clear that there will not be any major changes to Korea’s four-back defense and three-forward offense that the team has been focusing on.

It will be interesting to see whether the team’s strategic focus can be maximized with foreign league players such as Lee Young-pyo, Park Ji-sung, and Lee Eul-yong on board.

Won-Hong Lee bluesky@donga.com