Klinsmann makes some changes ahead of September friendlies

Korean national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann called up his roster for two September friendlies on Monday, adding new players as he tries to bring a bit more influence to the team.

The Korean national team poses for a photo before a friendly with El Salvador at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon on June 20. [KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION]

Korean national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann called up his roster for two September friendlies on Monday, adding new players as he tries to bring a bit more influence to the team.

Three new players have been called up for the first time: Defender Kim Ji-soo of Brentford, goalkeeper Kim Joon-hong of Gimcheon Sangmu and midfielder Lee Soon-min of Gwangju FC.

Kim Ji-soo, 18, was one of the key players at the U-20 World Cup this year, where Korea reached the semifinals. His performance in the tournament allowed him to transfer to Brentford, although he appears to be playing with the youth team for the foreseeable future.

Kim Joon-hong was also a part of the U-20 squad this year, while Lee is a key midfielder in the newly-promoted Gwangju FC that currently sit in third place on the 12-team K League table as of Monday.

Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain and Kim Jin-su of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are not on the roster due to injury. The PSG midfielder’s absence is concerning for Korea, as he displayed a good performance in Klinsmann’s four past games in charge.

Players like Jeong Woo-yeong of VfB Stuttgart, Paik Seung-ho of Jeonbuk and Park Kyu-hyun of SG Dynamo Dresden are also excluded, as they are set to take part in the U-24 Asian Games squad training.

Fellow Asiad squad members Seol Young-woo of Ulsan Hyundai and Hong Hyun-seok of KAA Gent, however, are in Klinsmann’s squad. The manager agreed with the Korean Football Association to utilize those players for the September friendlies.

Alongside Kim Joon-hong, two other regular pick goalkeepers Kim Seung-gyu of Al Shabab and Jo Hyeon-woo of Ulsan are in the squad.

Over in defense, Kim Young-gwon and Jung Seung-hyun of Ulsan, Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich, Lee Ki-je of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Kim Ju-sung of FC Seoul and Kang Sang-woo of Beijing Guoan will join Kim Ji-soo and Seol.

A notable difference in defense is the exclusion of Park Ji-su of Wuhan Three Towns, who showed some potential in the June friendlies.

The midfield led by regular captain Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur are Yang Hyun-jun of Celtic, Lee Jae-sung of Mainz 05, Hwang In-beom of Olympiacos, Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Moon Seon-min and Ahn Hyun-beom of Jeonbuk, and Lee Dong-gyeong of Ulsan, in addition to Hong and Lee Soon-min.

The three forwards completing the squad are Oh Hyeong-gyu of Celtic, Hwang Ui-jo of Nottingham Forest and Cho Gue-sung of FC Midtjylland.

Cho has been in the best form among the three forwards so far this season, managing four goals in nine games across all competitions.

Cho and Hwang Hee-chan are both injured, but Klinsmann said that he had a talk with their respective teams and judged that the two are eligible to train with the national team.

The Europe-based players will join Klinsmann’s training in Britain next month, where the team will face Wales on Sept. 7 before playing Saudi Arabia on Sept. 12. Players outside Europe will fly to Britain on Sept. 4.

The upcoming friendlies are Klinsmann’s first away games with the Taeguk Warriors and a chance for him to secure his first win as manager.

The squad for the September friendlies may show more of Klinsmann’s influence and the aggressive football he regularly touts.

His influence was not visible in the first two matches in March as he used the squad he inherited from his predecessor Paul Bento. The change was still not clear in June despite a few new players joining the squad.

With a 2-2 draw with Colombia and 2-1 loss to Uruguay in March and 1-0 loss to Peru and 1-1 draw with El Salvador in June, Klinsmann is currently the only foreign manager to have not earned a win in four games in charge.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]