Also Kim Young Kyu, or "Kiu" as he is nicknamed, could make his debut for Almeria which happens to be in BeIn Esp and on BeIn's streaming service Monday at 3:55 PM ET.
| Day | Time (ET) | Player | Club | Opponent | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 9:30:00 AM | Son Heung Min | Bayer Leverkusen | @Stuttgart | None |
| Saturday | 9:30:00 AM | Park Joo Ho | Mainz | @Freiburg | None |
| Saturday | 9:30:00 AM | Koo Ja Cheol | Wolfsburg | Schalke | None |
| Saturday | 10:00:00 AM | Lee Chung Yong | Bolton | @Nottingham Forest | None |
| Saturday | 10:00:00 AM | Kim Bo Kyung | Cardiff City | @West Ham Utd | Extra Time |
| Saturday | 10:00:00 AM | Yun Suk Young | QPR | Ipswich Town | None |
| Saturday | 10:00:00 AM | Ji Dong Won | Sunderland | Fulham | Extra Time |
| Saturday | 12:45:00 PM | Park Ji Sung | PSV Eindhoven | Go Ahead Eagles | ESPN3 |
| Saturday | 12:30:00 PM | Ki Sung Yueng | Swansea City | Manchester Utd | NBC |
Kim Bo Kyung has been killing it in preseason, with three goals against high level of opposition and plenty of plaudits from fans and media. Cardiff has a tough challenge to stay in the PL and KBK will be relied upon to provide offensive creativity positioned behind the striker. Barring health, he should be an every week starter as he was at the end of last season.
Son Heung Min scored his first in a Bayer Leverkusen shirt last Saturday. The attacking trio of Son, Sidney Sam and Stefan Kiessling looks like a potent attack if they can all stay healthy. Lots of speed out wide and a finisher with good distribution skills in Kiessling could be a potent mix as Bayer look to earn another Champions League spot. Son Heung Min lines up as the left forward, often positioned as a second striker in the attack. Devastating on the counter, Son will have to show maturation on the pitch and off, with less variability in performance, ability to weather full schedule that CL requires, and the handling of the press attention that comes with being the club record signing.
Koo Ja Cheol has returned to Wolfsburg where he seemed to struggle to find a spot before establishing himself as a Bundesliga caliber player at FC Augsburg. Now returning with a bigger reputation, Koo has earned himself a starting spot so far albeit at a deeper spot than when he was at Augsburg. Playing the more advanced of the two DM, Koo may take some time to readjust to the differing responsibilities, especially with Hecking wanting defensive stability above all else.
Park Joo Ho comes with CL experience to Mainz where the struggle will be more mundane: to stay in the Bundesliga. Mainz really needed a LB so PJH has a clear opportunity to establish himself as the starter and he reportedly played well in last week's season opener.
Lee Chung Yong finds himself still in the Championship. Certainly there could be a last second transfer but with the window closing, he looks to get back into form for another tough year in the Championship. Bolton just missed a playoff spot last year and will be looking to earn promotion after a full preseason with Dougie Freedman. Chungy had a late start to preseason which appears to have slowed his start but DF appears to trust him, giving him starts despite minimal preseason appearances. He's played more and more as an inverted left winger under DF and should have plenty of minutes this year.
Yun Suk Young had a half season to forget. Months after being one of the stars of the Olympic medal winning team, Yun found options a lot slimmer after finishing the K league season. Signing for QPR, he found himself inactive every week as QPR struggled in a relegation battle. Now after a major cleanup in the squad, Yun now finds himself the starting LB albeit in a lower level competition of the championship. He's already gotten his first assist so hopefully he can quickly adjust to the style of play in the championship while maintaining his offensive prowess.
Ji Dong Won like Koo has returned to his original club after a successful stint at Augsburg. Primarily stuck on the bench or reserves in his first go around at Sunderland, he now comes to the club with a large price tag having nearly singlehandedly saving Augsburg from relegation. Will Sunderland cash in to his Bundesliga suitors? Sunderland certainly is stocked for now with big signing Altidore and established goal scorer in Fletcher, plus Sessegnon and Wickham as forward options. With only a year left on his contract, it seems the logical thing would be to sell despite claims of PDCs positive opinion on Ji but with such an overhaul of the squad, nothing is for certain.
Park Ji Sung escapes from the disaster zone that was QPR and finds himself in on Eredivisie title contender and CL playoff team. The biggest question will be how much PJS has left in the tank after having minimal impact over two seasons due to form and injury. Then again, his role at PSV will be more of a mentor to the young talent on the team and the Eredivisie may be more suited to his current athletic abilities.
Ki Sung Yueng had a good season last year in Swansea but the demands of European football comes with a larger squad and in turn greater competition for minutes. Ki looks to be on the outside looking in at the moment, both due to his late start and perhaps being out of Laudrups mind after missing the last several fixtures of last season to injury. If Swansea can win the EL playoff match, the schedule will become a lot more congested and should have plenty of minutes for Ki to re-establish himself in the starting lineup. With a defensive stopper like Canas next to him, Ki should also have greater license to get involved in the attack and can hopefully add a goal or two to his other contributions.
