S. Korea taking shorthanded roster into men's football friendly vs. Japan

▲ South Korean men's national football team players train at a stadium in Yokohama, Japan, on March 22, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ Members of the South Korean men's national team await their flight bound for Japan at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on March 22, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ Members of the South Korean men's national football team load their bags onto a truck at Narita International Airport in Chiba, Japan, on March 22, 2021, after making the trip for a friendly match against Japan. (Yonhap)

▲ Paulo Bento (R), head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, chats with a team official at a stadium in Yokohama during practice on March 22, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ Jo Hyeon-woo (R), goalkeeper for the South Korean men's national football team, prepares to depart for Japan at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on March 22, 2021, ahead of a friendly match. (Yonhap)

▲ South Korean men's national football team players train at a stadium in Yokohama, Japan, on March 22, 2021. (Yonhap)

football-match

S. Korea taking shorthanded roster into men's football friendly vs. Japan

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- No Son Heung-min. But no problem?

South Korea will find out Thursday, when the shorthanded team will take on Japan in a men's football friendly match in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. The kickoff between archrivals at Nissan Stadium is 7:20 p.m.

Son, the South Korean captain and offensive hero for Tottenham Hotspur, has been sidelined with a left hamstring injury, sustained during a Premier League contest on March 14. South Korea head coach Paulo Bento still named Son to his roster just hours after that injury, but Son was officially ruled out Sunday.

Missing Son, the country's most gifted attacker, will definitely hurt. But compounding that problem is the absence of other national team mainstays.

Bordeaux forward Hwang Ui-jo and RB Leipzig forward Hwang Hee-chan didn't get the green light from their European clubs due to COVID-19 protocols. Clubs are typically obligated to release international players for FIFA-sanctioned matches, but the international governing body tweaked its rules during the global pandemic, so that teams can hold on to their players depending on quarantine rules in their countries.

There are a handful of others dealing with injuries of their own. Al-Nassr defender Kim Jin-su and Rubin Kazan midfielder Hwang In-beom were never called up because of Achilles' tendon injuries. From the K League 1, Gwangju FC midfielder Um Won-sang (knee) and Ulsan Hyundai FC midfielder Yoon Bitgaram (calf) were cut from the team at the last minute. Gamba Osaka midfielder Ju Se-jong recently tested positive for COVID-19 and was dropped Sunday.

Though No. 1 goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo will be in net and the defensive corps wasn't hit so hard by injuries, it's fair to wonder where goals are going to come from. Bento only called up two forwards, Gyeongnam FC's Lee Jeong-hyeop and FC Seoul's Cho Young-wook, and they haven't scored for their K League clubs yet this season.

Ulsan winger Kim In-sung, added to the team as a replacement Sunday, is tied for second in the K League 1 with three goals and will be counted on for some offensive oomph.

This will be the 80th match between South Korea and Japan, and their first since December 2019. The Taeguk Warriors have posted 42 wins, 23 draws and 14 losses so far.

Japan approached South Korea about holding a match during the late March FIFA international match window. They had been scheduled to play their respective World Cup qualifiers during that period but they were postponed to June due to effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Sensing a need to play a match to stay sharp, South Korea, who only played two international matches in 2020 and none so far in 2021, agreed to play Japan on the road.

The national team, though, faced criticism from some quarters for traveling to Japan during the pandemic, especially since Japan has been struggling to contain the spread of the virus. Also, the memories of the COVID-19 outbreak within the team during a trip to Austria last November, where South Korea played their most recent matches, are still fresh in the minds of many fans.

In response to criticism, Bento said the game must go on, as long as players followed rules. And the Korea Football Association (KFA) has prepared strict health and safety protocols.

All traveling members -- players, coaches and team officials -- were tested for COVID-19 and they donned face shields to board the Japan-bound flight. They will be tested daily during their stay, from Tuesday to Friday.

Team members will be prohibited from using the sauna, fitness club and swimming pool at their hotel. The KFA will operate two buses to ensure safe distances among team members.

Once they return home Friday, national team members will be exempt from mandatory 14-day quarantine, as per an agreement reached between the KFA and health authorities. They will enter cohort isolation for a week at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, north of Seoul, where they will be tested daily but will be allowed to practice at the national team training complex.

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