Weekend Roundup, 9/19-9/21: KPAs, AG, U19, and U16 [Updated]

Well it was a pretty disappointing weekend for pretty much all our divisions (KPA, AG, U16, etc.) this time around. But we did get a preliminary roster for the AFC U19 Championship which we’ll have to talk about.

The one bright point (the same pretty much every week) was Ki who has consistently been one of Swansea’s best players so far.

As for the Asian Games, we fielded a straight up B team vs. Laos and boy the performance was pretty bad. Ahn Yong Woo was particularly disappointing, Lee Yong Jae was being the usual Lee Yong Jae (completely useless with no business on the team), and yet again Lee Gwang Jong was unconvincing and showed that he is much better as a U17-20 coach than a U23 coach.

That being said, KSD came on late to continue his goal scoring streak to 6 games, and LJH proved himself to be a worthy successor to the long-term injured Yoon Il Rok. Expect the following:

Note: News recently came in (after I made this chart) that Kim Shin Wook would be rested vs. Hong Kong as a precautionary measure. In that case, Lee Jong Ho will move up top and Moon Sang Yoon should take his place. Yoon Il Rok will severely be missed unless Lee Jong Ho can really step up.

As y’all have probably heard by now, we lost in the final of the AFC U16 Championship to North Korea. And I hate to say this, but they actually played better than us in some ways. Granted, they fouled the crap out of us but hey it worked. Perhaps things could have gone differently 1). had we prevented some defensive lapses (no surprises there huh) and 2) had the NK defender gotten a red for hauling down LSW when he was clear through on a 1 on 1. That was an unambiguous red, but you know how AFC refs are. LSW, predictably, won the MVP and top scorer awards but he stated that it doesn’t mean much since we lost and that we’ll exact vengeance through the U17 WC. At least we made qualified this time right?

Also expect a post from Jae soon about whether Lee Seung Woo should be fast tracked onto the KNT. Even in its incomplete stage it was a great read that answered the question really really well. It’s something I had been wondering myself for a while but Jae has convinced me the best course of action would most likely be… (you’ll find out soon!)

It’s kinda sad, but probably the most exciting development was the preliminary roster for the AFC U19 Championship. It’s kinda cool since these guys are pretty much all 95’ers just like me (by the way the 1998 is a typo):

Now this is one stacked team. It’s too bad we’re missing the attacking midfield prodigy Lee Gwang Hyeok (injury), HSV II’s center back Kim Dong Soo (they refused to  (release him…), and another prospect named Nah Sang Ho (not called up), but still the depth is unbelievable. Hwang Hee Chan, Kim Shin, and Suh Myeong Won return, predictably, to spearhead the attack, with Almeria’s Kim Young Kyu to back them up. Maybe KYK will start but I think his crazy speed (87 pace + 86 acceleration on FIFA 15 apparently) will really come in handy as an impact sub. Then there’s the midfield duo Baek Seung Ho and Seol Tae Soo to really look forward to, as well as the returning members of the 2012 AFC U16 cycle that unfortunately lost in PK’s to Uzbekistan.

The new names here are Oh Se Jun, a left back playing for Werder Bremen, and Kim Seung Jun, who I’ve never heard of in my life and seems to play for a professional team (Division II, just below MLS) in LA. Wikipedia says he has 14 apps an one goal this season. We’ll see how these guys play in early October when this tourney kicks off.

Tavern Owner intruding> didn’t want to forget the K-League Classic results from the weekend:

Jae noted new trends in the table:

Storylines from weekend – Pohang can’t make up ground on Jeonbuk after last minute loss to Suwon – Jeonnam climbs back into top half

— Jae (@ArmchairRegista) September 22, 2014

– Gyeongnam moves out of auto relegation spot, Busan drops into last – Sangju inches closer to relegation zone

— Jae (@ArmchairRegista) September 22, 2014

Remember six rounds left until the ‘split’. Looks like 3-way battle for top half (Seoul, Jeonnam, Ulsan) with only one getting in.

— Jae (@ArmchairRegista) September 22, 2014

All four gov’t owned teams (Incheon, Sangju*, Seongnam, Gyeongnam) are in bottom five.

— Jae (@ArmchairRegista) September 22, 2014