South Korea Soccer Ranking
If Son Heung-Min’s done anything since first softly landing in Hamburg’s first team in 2010, it’s wake up the wider world to South Korea’s potential as a soccer nation. If he did anything in 2017, it’s beat us over the head practically to death with that knowledge.
Son’s 2016-17 with Tottenham was almost without peer. Two years after becoming the highest Asian transfer in history, Son broke the 20-goal barrier with Spurs en route to their second-place Premier League finish and a spot in the Champions League. On the way there, Son was as classy an operator as you were liable to find in the world’s most moneyed league, and amidst his performances the question lingered; are there more South Koreans like this coming up behind him?
The question, it seems, may well be yes.
South Korea is, of course, currently shouldering hosting duties for the U20 World Cup. Though we’re only still in the group phase, the country’s done a marvelous job on balance. The venues are pristine, the seats more full than most any host nation before it, the soccer good. Unsurprisingly, the real show-stopper is when South Korea takes the field.
Attendances have largely hovered somewhere between 4, 000-8, 000, which is a tremendously laudable figure for a tournament like this. For South Korea’s opener, a 3-0 win over lightly followed Guinea, 37, 500 turned up to Jeonju World Cup Stadium. Three days later, another 27, 000 showed to watch the hosts square off against Argentina, itself licking wounds after being smashed 3-0 against England in the opener.
South Korea, and the match itself for that matter, did not disappoint.
The game was a scintillating affair, Argentina largely holding the balance of possession while South Korea looked for quick stabs into the attacking third. Argentina out-shot South Korea 19-7 and held a 60-40 edge in possession, but the scoreline told a different story entirely.
