(Asiad) Coach embraces opportunity to restore pride in S. Korean football

NAGOYA, Japan — The men's national football team head coach, Lee Min-sung, announced on Monday his intention to leverage an opportunity to rejuvenate pride in Korean football by securing a gold medal at the upcoming Asian Games in Japan. Lee and his under-23 national team are aiming for Korea's fourth consecutive Asian Games gold.

They will begin Group D play against Qatar at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field in central Japan. The second match of the tournament will be against Saudi Arabia at 7 p.m. on September 22 at the same venue.

Korean football has been in disarray this year, especially with the senior men's national team drawing the most attention after failing to advance from the group stage at the FIFA World Cup. Lee's U-23 squad underperformed at the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Asian Cup in January, losing to Japan in the semifinals and to Vietnam in the third-place match.

During a pre-Asian Games press conference at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field in Nagoya, Lee acknowledged the harsh criticism aimed at his team and Korean football in general.