football-defender
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| ▲ Park Ji-su, defender for the South Korean men's national football team, speaks to reporters before a training session at Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 13, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Park Ji-su, defender for the South Korean men's national football team, speaks to reporters before a training session at Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 13, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Park Ji-su (2nd from L), defender for the South Korean men's national football team, high-fives a teammate during a training session at Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 12, 2023, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
football-defender
Nat'l football team defender confident he can step in for absent teammates
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- With two national team mainstays on defense unavailable for upcoming friendly matches, Park Ji-su, center back for the Portuguese club Portimonense, is expected to get a bulk of playing time for South Korea.
Park said Tuesday he is prepared to leave his mark, and he is confident he can take care of his own end against Peru and El Salvador.
For those two matches -- Friday against Peru and next Tuesday against El Salvador -- South Korea will be without their two trusted center backs, Kim Min-jae of Napoli and Kim Young-gwon of Ulsan Hyundai FC.
Kim Min-jae, named the best defender in Serie A after helping Napoli to their first Italian league title in 33 years, will report to mandatory military training, as part of an exemption from the service he'd earned with the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games. Kim Young-gwon is nursing a right quad injury.
With another veteran center back, Kwon Kyung-won, having been cut from the national team Monday with an injury, Park is the most experienced center back on the current squad with 14 caps.
"It's a shame we won't get to play with Young-gwon and Min-jae. And honestly, I don't think they can be replaced," Park told reporters before a training session at Gudeok Stadium in Busan, the southeastern city that will host Peru on Friday. "But I think I have things that I can offer, and I can be competitive on the field. I've been around these guys for four years, and I think I can fit in seamlessly with the rest of the defenders."
Park did not play in new coach Jurgen Klinsmann's first two matches in March. He said he is ready to play the aggressive brand of football that the German boss demands.
"He wants us to keep feeding the ball upfront, and that's exactly what I'll try to do," he said.
Park, who turned 29 on Tuesday, said he has taken a major stride after spending the past season in Portugal.
"I learned so much playing against high tempo in Europe. I hope more players will get to challenge themselves over there," Park said. "I ended up in a place where I didn't speak the language, but I think football is universal, and I could still get on the same page with my teammates just by making eye contact. I had a chance to play in a positive and enjoyable environment."
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