South Korea 2010 World Cup Team Preview: Tigers Lying In Wait

Although South Korea did not make the knockout round in Germany, they were the best finisher who failed to advance (1-1-1), and given they have added important parts (Lee Chong-Yong, for one) and are in a group with less depth, a relativistic comparison should pique our curiosity. While they still don’t have an elite goal scorer, they have five players who can score goals: Lee, Park Cho-Young, Park Ji-Sung, Lee Dong-Gook, and Ki Sung-Yong, whose distribution could add a playmaking element that hasn’t been as prominent in the past. The back is a bit suspect - be it in the line or in goal - but the improvements the team’s made plus the qualifying results should open people’s minds to the possibility that South Korea could be dangerous.

They are still one of the most disciplined, fit, and technically sound teams in the world. With the improved quality of the K-League, the baseline talent level of the team has been raised. Add in the emergence of players like Lee Chong-Yong and Ki Sung-Yong with their continued rise as a soccer power and you have a nation that is positioned to take advantage of a thin Group B.