Ulsan Hyundai FC's lead atop the K League 1 tables shrank to five points on Saturday, with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, five-time defending champions, breathing hard down Ulsan's neck. Ulsan suffered a 2-0 loss to Pohang Steelers in their "East Coast Derby" on Saturday, while Jeonbuk rallied past Gimcheon Sangmu FC 2-1 the same day. Ulsan still lead the competition with 40 points but Jeonbuk have closed in on them with 35 points. Ulsan were in first place by 10 points entering t

FIFA announced Friday it will implement a new offside technology at this year's World Cup to help video match officials and on-field referees make faster and more accurate decisions.    Following a series of successful tests, FIFA's semiautomated offside technology (SAOT) will make its World Cup debut in Qatar in November.    The SAOT, which was tested at the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup and 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, is an extension of the video assistant referee (VAR) system, curr

As they try to win their first South Korean football championship since 2005, Ulsan Hyundai FC know every match counts, even a seemingly meaningless one against an eminently beatable team in late June. And if this K League 1 season plays out like the past three years and Ulsan once again fall achingly short of the title, the scoreless draw against last-place Seongnam FC on Sunday will be the match that Ulsan will look back on and say, "We should've won it." Despite a 74-26 edge in

South Korea have collected a well-earned 0-0 draw against Olympic champions Canada in a women's football friendly match, their latest prep for an upcoming regional tournament and then the World Cup in 2023. Despite being outshot 13-3, world No. 18 South Korea held the sixth-ranked Canada without a goal at BMO Field in Toronto on Sunday (local time). Canada started attacking from early on, with Jordyn Huitema's header sailing just wide of the target on four minutes. In the 17th minute,

This seems to be a good time to start throwing around cliches about championship mettle and pedigree in South Korean football. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, five-time defending champions in the K League 1, have climbed to second place behind Ulsan Hyundai FC, only the second time all season that they've been this high in the league tables. Jeonbuk defeated Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2-1 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju on Wednesday for their first victory at home since the season opener on Feb.

In light of a recent decision by FIFA to prolong rules to accommodate foreign players based in Russia, South Korean midfielder Hwang In-beom is once again poised to become a coveted figure in the open market. Hwang, a go-to midfielder for the South Korean national team, signed a short-term deal with FC Seoul in the K League 1 in April. He had been playing for the top-division Russian club Rubin Kazan since 2020, but he faced an uncertain future with the team following Russia‘s invasion

In danger of fading away in their bid for a sixth consecutive title in South Korean football, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors rode a rare goal barrage to defeat first-place Ulsan Hyundai FC over the weekend. Takahiro Kunimoto netted twice as part of Jeonbuk's three-goal explosion in a 13-minute span, helping the five-time defending K League 1 champs to a 3-1 victory on Sunday at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan. Um Won-sang had the lone Ulsan goal in the 40th minute, but Jeonbuk had already scored th

Daegu FC's Brazilian forward Cesinha was named South Korean football's best player for May on Thursday, capturing his fourth career monthly prize. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced that Cesinha beat out three nominees for the Player of the Month prize for May. The winner was chosen based on votes by the K League's technical study group (60 percent), fans (25 percent) and players of "FIFA Online 4" (15 percent) by Electronic Arts (EA) Sports, the

After more than two weeks off during the FIFA international match window, the top South Korean football league will be back in action on the weekend, with two title contenders set for their second showdown of the season. Ulsan Hyundai FC entered the break atop the K League 1 tables with 36 points, 10 ahead of Jeju United. Ulsan are undefeated in their past five matches. One point behind Jeju in third place are Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the team that crushed Ulsan's title dreams in each of the

After three decidedly mixed results, South Korea's international match window for June will close on Tuesday against Egypt missing their biggest star. The kickoff between 29th-ranked South Korea and No. 32 Egypt will be 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The 18th meeting between the two countries had potential for some intrigue, with the two captains, Son Heung-min for South Korea and Mohamed Salah for Egypt, having shared the Premier League's Golden Boot this past season. However, Sal

After a successful bounce back from a demoralizing defeat, South Korea will chase their second straight victory in men's football on Friday against Paraguay while also seeking much-needed improvements from their defense. The kickoff between 29th-ranked South Korea and No. 50 Paraguay is 8 p.m. at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 35 kilometers south of Seoul. This will be the third of four friendly matches that South Korea will play in June. They lost to Brazil 5-1 last Thursday but bl

Former South Korean men's football head coach Guus Hiddink liked what he saw from his old team Thursday night, even in a 5-1 defeat to Brazil in a pre-World Cup friendly match in Seoul -- to a degree that the Dutchman doesn't think the Taeguk Warriors should change much in the way they play. The current bench boss, Paulo Bento, has come under fire for sticking to the same style of play, perhaps stubbornly so, even when the strategy that has worked against some underdogs in the past won't be as

President Yoon Suk-yeol awarded an order of merit to Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward Son Heung-min on Thursday in recognition of his achievement in sports. Yoon awarded the Cheongnyong Medal to Son at Seoul World Cup Stadium before he took part in a friendly match against Brazil. The Cheongnyong ranks the highest among five medals that are awarded to an individual for their achievement in sports or their contribution to promoting national sports. Son made history last month by becom

Brazil superstar Neymar is questionable for a friendly match against South Korea on Thusday after sustaining a right foot injury during training in Seoul on the eve of the game. Brazil held an open training session at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday. The visiting South Americans will take on the Taeguk Warriors at the same venue Thursday, for an 8 p.m. kickoff. During the session, Neymar collided with a teammate and then grabbed his right foot as he dropped to the pitch. He took off his r

South Korea's first friendly match since qualifying for the FIFA World Cup earlier this year should also be their toughest test, as the Taeguk Warriors are set to host world No. 1 Brazil in the nation's capital Thursday. The kickoff is 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium. This will be the first of four friendly matches for the 29th-ranked South Korea in June. They will next face No. 28 Chile on June 6 in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, and then No. 50 Paraguay on June 10 in