The South Korean national under-20 soccer team will play a friendly with defending Asian club football champions later this month to tune up for the upcoming FIFA competition, the sport’s national governing body said Tuesday.
The Korea Football Association said the U-20 team will have a friendly match with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on April 26 in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, to check their preparations for the FIFA U-20 World Cup which will be staged from May 20 to June 11 in six local cities.
The players from the South Korean national under-20 football team train at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on April 10, 2017. (Yonhap)
Jeonbuk won the Asian Football ConfederationChampions League last year, but was expelled from this year’s competition following a bribery scandal involving one of their scouts. Jeonbuk is currently second in the top-flight K League Classic this season.
The KFA said the officials are planning to host the friendly match at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, where South Korea will play two matches at the U-20 World Cup.
South Korea is paired with Argentina, England and Guinea in Group A at the 24-team FIFA tournament. The host opens the tournament on May 20 with Guinea at Jeonju World Cup Stadium before taking on Argentina at the same venue three days later.
South Korean U-20 soccer coach Shin Tae-yong previously said his side will have one or two friendly matches every week before the World Cup.
Before the Jeonbuk friendly, Shin’s side will meet with Myongji University on Friday at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, before playing against Suwon FC, a club in the second-tier K League Challenge, in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, five days later.
Shin called up 25 players for April training and he will have to cut at least four players to finalize his squad for the U-20 World Cup. The deadline for the 21-man final entry is May 8. (Yonhap)
