Verbeek’s First Training Camp Begins

The motor of Team Verbeek has started running.

The Korean national football team led by Pim Verbeek started training at Paju National Football Center on August 6 for the preliminaries of the 2007 Asian Cup Games, which will be held at Taipei, Taiwan from August 16. The team was assembled by noon and after a one o’clock lunch, distributed equipment and had a two-hour training session from 5:30 p.m., despite the intense heat

Kim Young-kwang: “I’ve waited so long for this moment.”–

Of the 36 players of the national team, 29 players participated in the training; three Ulsan Hyundai players, Lee Chun-soo, Choi Sung-kuk, and Lee Jong-min were unable to come due to the A3 Champions Cup Games being held in Tokyo. Kim Dong-jin, Lee Ho of Zenit FC; Cho Jae-jin of Shimizu S-Pulse; and Kim Jin-kyu of Jubilo Iwata were also absent.

Coach Verbeek arrived at 10:00 a.m., two hours before the designated time, and marked out the field on which the players were to train.

Defensive player Cho Yong-hyun of Jeju United, once known as “The Second Hong Myung-bo,” arrived first at 10:00 a.m., even before the coaching staff arrived. Park Chu-young of FC Seoul arrived last at 11:45 a.m. Ahn Jung-hwan, who is hoping to part with his current team, MSV Duisburg, said, “I’m working with my agent to get a transfer. It looks like my new team will be decided after the Taiwan game.”

Kim Jung-woo, Jung Jo-kuk: “We won’t let our second chance go to waste.”-

Kim Young-kwang, who is aiming for the main goalkeeper position after Lee Woon-jae left the team with an injury, said, “I have waited so long for this moment.” Kim Yong-dae, who is also competing for this position, said, “We’ll both have to work hard. I’m going to try to give 200 percent during the short time that is given, because the goalkeeper coach doesn’t know me very well.”

Kim Jung-woo of the Nagoya Grampus, Jung Jo-kuk of FC Seoul, and Jang Hak-young of Seongnam Ilhwa, who were on former coach Dick Advocaat’s team but were not included in the final entry, showed great determination, saying, “We were disappointed that we weren’t able to go to the World Cup, but we’ve been given a second chance.” Kwon Jip of Jeonbuk Hyundai, Kim Dong-seok of FC Seoul, and Lee Gang-jin of Busan I’Park, who are newcomers to the national team, seemed a bit nervous. “I am very proud of myself. I’ve become much stronger physically, playing in the K-League. I won’t fall behind in the competition,” said Kwon Jip. The youngest of the team at 18 years of age, Kim Dong-seok said, “I think the coach chose me because what he wants is a younger team who can play really technical soccer.”

bluesky@donga.com