Have to admit I was scared to post too much and jinx our team during these Olympics where so much stood on the line:
1. Park Chu Young's probable exit from Arsenal... with depressing potential destinations such as the desert, he needed a good tourney to entice some decent buyers.
2. Ki Sung Yueng... looking superfluous to Celtic given Rangers' expulsion from top flight, he'd end up somewhere decent. But at times last year, he looked ready for so much more.
3. Military exemption -- Only Koo Ja Cheol (due to family member being a war hero) and to a lesser extent PCY could avoid military duties from impairing their careers. Not only shortening their career, the requirement to serve two years before 30 could scare away potential buyers knowing that there was little resale value.
That said, the Korean Olympic football team played some amazingly gritty football in the spirit of their manager, Hong Myung Bo, and we can instead start dreaming again of watching our favoriet players in the world's top leagues for years to come.
It was a brilliant showcase of Korean football against the top programs of the world, including GB, Mexico and Brazil. We saw the rebirth of Park Ji Sung-like workrate. The team displayed how far Korean technical skills have come in controlling play and linking passes fluidly for the majority of tournament. The defense was tough and firm.
A new era of Korean football is dawning.
There will be a time later this week to go back to the schedule building with seasons nearing their start and discussing the implications of this tournament on transfers.
But for now I will just bask in the greatness of this team and their immense accomplishment.
