Goalkeeper Kim Seung-kyu (33-Al Shabab), who has been named ‘interim captain’ of Klinsmann’s squad, has vowed to keep a clean sheet.
Kim Seung-kyu joined Klinsmann’s national soccer team for a friendly match against Peru at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Yeonje-gu, Busan at 8 p.m. on June 16.
Kim joined Klinsmann at the official press 먹튀검증 conference held at the Busan Asiad Stadium on the 15th. He first said, “I got to play with a different defense than usual. At times like this, you have to finish well (as a goalkeeper),” and vowed to “keep a clean sheet.”
“I don’t need to tell the players who are playing for the national team for the first time in a long time to ‘focus,'” Kim said, adding, “They are good players in their own teams, so they will be nervous and focus on the game.”
He took on the role of “interim captain” ahead of the game against Peru. This is because the team’s captain, Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham), is unavailable after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia. Son underwent a minor sports hernia surgery in England late last month. He participated in the call-up training in Busan from December 12, but was excluded from some sessions. With Son’s participation unclear, the captain’s armband was handed to the national team’s “eldest brother,” Kim Seung-gyu. “There are a lot of changes in the defense, but we need to do well in times like this. That way, we can be confident when we play with another member next time.”
This is the third time South Korea has faced Peru. The all-time series is tied at 1-1. The last time the teams met was 10 years ago, when current Ulsan Hyundai coach Hong Myung-bo’s side drew 0-0 in a friendly. The first meeting in 1971 resulted in a 0-4 defeat.
The two June A matches (Peru on June 16 and El Salvador on June 20) will be the maiden voyage of the first Klinsmann era. Klinsmann only took over the reins in February, so he didn’t have enough time to evaluate many players during the March A-Match. Klinsmann’s staff then had three months to fully evaluate domestic and international players before finalizing the roster for the June A-Match.
However, Klinsmann’s squad was faced with a number of changes before they even took to the field. First, just before the call-up, the unstoppable central defense duo of Kim Min-jae (27-Napoli) was withdrawn from the roster for three weeks of basic military training, and Kim Young-kwon (33-Ulsan) suffered a hamstring injury. Then, ahead of the Peru game, Son Heung-min left the squad.