The good news is the return of Suk Hyun Jun to these schedules and the long-anticipated addition of Lee Seung Woo.
Those additions skew things a bit more towards me adding BeIn to my service, but there aren't replays on their app and its not all-inclusive (and frankly their online stream coverage is awful) so I will wait until we see how these transfers play out.
Also we made the World Cup! Yes it was very close, and yes we were awful but at least we have something to watch next summer. It has been a lesson in how not to run a NT since 2010 from the KFA and yet the stagnation of Uzbekistan progress means we make it in without even a playoff.
Of course international weeks make it virtually impossible to see how managers deploy their new buys, how they saw guys staying back like Ji, and how fresh the players are after travelling halfway around the world, so take lineup predictions with a grain of salt.
| Day | Time (ET) | Player | Club | Opponent | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Ji Dong Won | Augsburg | Cologne | Fox Match Pass |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Koo Ja Cheol | Augsburg | Cologne | Fox Match Pass |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM | Son Heung Min | Tottenham | @Everton | CNBC |
| Saturday | 2:00 PM | Kwon Chang Hoon | Dijon | @Caen | None |
| Saturday | 2:00 PM | Suk Hyun Jun | Troyes | Toulouse | None |
| Sunday | 8:30 AM | Lee Chung Yong | Crystal Palace | @Burnley | NBCSN |
| Sunday | 9:00 AM | Lee Seung Woo | Hellas Verona | Fiorentina | None |
| Sunday | 11:00 AM | Ki Sung Yueng | Swansea | Newcastle | NBCSN |
Ji Dong Won -- Ji stayed behind as Shin Tae Yong called up dinosaur ghosts to KNT instead, and hopefully Ji got some good training in to catchup from missing much of preseason. I don't expect him to start though hopefully this time he gets a chance to play as a sub.
Koo Ja Cheol -- I can't believe he didn't start the second match; his curious playing time makes me wonder if he's got an injury that he's managing. He wasn't great when he came on, but was less bad that Jang HS and provided some glue to what had been a shapeless Korean side. Certainly he should be in the squad this weekend, and perhaps his international duty means Baum tries someone else in his role to start.
Son Heung Min -- Really struggled and between the dodgy pitches and his own rust, had a very difficult time beating defenders one-on-one and having an impact in general. When he did get chances, he wasted them, particularly vs. Uzbekistan. Tottenham will need him better than this given no attackers bought and reduced squad for CL, but he seems really far away. I suspect he will be on the bench to start.
Kwon Chang Hoon -- Another player who failed to make an impact... he wasn't as bad as Son, but he looked a overwhelmed by the magnitude of the situation and never settled into any sort of rhythm. We will see how fit he is on his return... given his poor showing last match, I think he will be on the bench to start.
Suk Hyun Jun -- His career is crazy between all the countries and ping-ponging through the tiers of world football. Despite not impressing in Turkey or Hungary, he somehow manages to earn a chance at Troyes. I imagine it was a low risk deal for Troyes and we will see if he can hit the ground running. I can't claim to know at all how soon he'll play but since he didn't even play in friendly over break, I doubt more than a bench role.
Lee Chung Yong -- A fair surprise that he didn't move... the fact that his former manager (Freedman) returned to Crystal Palace as director of football seems to be a plausible variable in his staying rather than return to Bolton or some other Championship side. That explanation gathers even more credibility if one takes into account the rumors of de Boer potentially getting the sack four games (turning Freedman into manager). That said, in the present, he probably remains a bench warmer and given importance of match, low likelihood of playing.
Lee Seung Woo -- It was surprising to hear LSW linked with a Serie A team, given low quantities of Koreans there and the EU quotas, and more so to see the deal go through for a pretty small fee (reports of 0-1.5m). The risk for LSW seems great... a new country and language is a hard enough challenge, let alone the gap in play to Serie A from youth football. Playing for a team that will struggle against relegation has been often a bad formula for Korean footballers too. We will see and at this point I don't have a strong idea as to what his role will be, and if that means anything this weekend.
Ki Sung Yueng -- It seems highly questionable that Ki would suit up and play WCQ despite only starting training on the pitch a few days ago, and it seems that it was all an ineffective decoy. I don't expect him to suit up this weekend until he can train for a week and even then getting a bench spot will be tough with so many CMs on the squad.
Other players minor updates: A start of season update recent news for other players
Paik Seung Ho (Peralada - Girona B) -- When he played with Barca B against Peralada and dominated the match, I hoped that a 2nd tier team would notice. Instead he was picked up by Peralada's parent with at least a year assignment with Peralada in the 3rd tier.
Park Jung Bin (Viborg) -- He's recovering from season-ending ACL surgery today.
Park Yi Young / Choi Kyoung Rok / Lee Seung Won (St Pauli) -- The former two seem to be bonding over injury recovery but CKR has a tough road to get minutes and PYY himself is right now bench depth. LSW is primarily a B team guy though he did suit up for first team over international break for a friendly.
Hwang Mun Ki (Academica) -- He started off the season as a starter but a slow start by the team, and I assume Ki similarly, means that he's been on the bench lately.
Kim Young Kiu (Melilla) -- He's been starting regularly but picked up an injury this week and its been a mediocre start to season for the team.
Seo Young Jae (Hamburg II) -- Starting and playing 90 regularly for HSVII but no signs of a first team call up at all.
