Koreans in the J-League

[SteveW]

Off to Tokyo on Friday so I will be having to settle for J-League instead of K-League for a while.

Thought I might check out the Korean contingent...anyone got a definitive list of Koreans in the J-League and their respective clubs?

Oh and if anyone knows of any good English language sites related to the J-League that would be cool. My Japanese skills are zero so I can't even read players names or anything on the local sites.

Not looking forward to having to pay J-League prices for tickets though

[redneck13]

I used to speak japanese *sigh* but language skills always fly out the door if you can't use them.

Choi Yong-soo's a big talent for JEF United. A J-League goal machine that sinks down to a sunday league player every time he puts on a Korea shirt.

[Holyjoe]

Sandro Cordoso Dos Santos, former Suwon striker who scored a shedload of goals, is playing for JEF United too.

[Ed.]

He was a cracking player, got the goal that won Suwon their Asian Club Championship final against Jubilo, as well as a few fairly spectacular efforts in the league.

[Holyjoe]

Choi Yong-soo is at Kyoto Purple Sanga this season, in the J2 League.

He's 4th in the overall scoring charts with 16 goals, though that pales in comparison with Kawasaki Frontale's Juninho (not the Celtic one ) who has 31 apparently... fourteen more than the guy in second.

Kyoto are 4th and 32 points behind Kawasaki at the top.

Yokohama FC, who Steven Tweed currently plays for, are 8th and a whopping 45 behind the league leaders. Think we've found the Japanese side you should be supporting, SteveW

[PJS]

Why do Koreans want to play in J-league? it is of the same standard at home anyway

[Ed.]

PJS said:

Why do Koreans want to play in J-league? it is of the same standard at home anyway

$$$?

[Holyjoe]

Aye, looks like money talks in terms of going to the J-league. It's not just the Koreans though, as a fair number of foreigners in the K-league have headed off to Japan down the years - at the moment Sandro (ex-Suwon), Miodrag Andjelkovic (ex-Incheon), Alpay Ozalan (ex-Incheon) and Magno Alves (ex-Cheonbuk) are over there. Probably more too.

I guess the J-League gives the Korean players (in theory) a higher profile in the world game than the K-League, even though in terms of continental club competition the K-League is probably the strongest in Asia.

The flow of talent is almost exclusively one way... there have only been two Japanese players in the K-League (Kaimoto at Seongnam in 2001, Maezono at Anyang & Incheon now). One could say that the Japanese need the Korean players to raise the standard of their league, but the Japanese players would add little to the K-League

[PJS]

I just applied for a job in a japanese company in singapore and they turned me down today. %^$%^$#

[nyujeelandsaram]

I think they go for the same reason that dozens of former domestic and international rugby players from NZ have gone to play in Japan.

money money money

They get more for playing for a crappy company rugby club who get crowds of 1,000 than they do for playing in front of 30,000 every week in NZ.

[SteveW]

Saw a few biggish names on the scoring charts here....Patrick Mboma is playing out here and somedude called "Kelly" - need to investigate him as he sounds like he could be the new Cookie

Now I WAS going to see Tokyo Verdy today but I have no idea where they play and can:t find a tourist office to ask!!!

[Holyjoe]

This is a list via Soccerworld:


Ahn Jung-hwan - Yokohama F. Marinos


Jo Jae-jin - Shimizu S-Pulse


Choi Yong-soo - Kyoto Purple Sanga


Kim Kun-chul - Shonan Bellmare

There you go

[toohyper]

Kim Kun who?

[SteveW]

Well I guess I didn't get to see any live J-League this weekend

There was EXCELLENT coverage on TV though ... 3 live games and a highlights package at 9pm that covered all J1 matches and a J2 game.

Some observations ... the K:League might do better in club competitions but the J-League looks far superior - better players playing in fuller stadiums for more money...sounds like a bigger league to me.

Not reading Japanese is a real hinderance because I can:t even read the team names let alone players or anything else.

My days viewing was something like:

1) Jubilo Iwata vs Kashima Antlers (I think) - Loads of players I didn't know here. Kashima take an early lead. Jubilo come back to lead 4-1 at HT ....time to turn over to....

2) Some team in white vs some other team - oh look its Ahn Jung Hwan mustbe Yokohama F Marinos vs erm... someone else... this one finishes 2-2. back to see the final score at JUbilo....oops 4-4!! Jubilo = the Hibs of Japan obviously

3) Evening game in instead of going to watch Tokyo Verdy because I can:t find a bloody PC that works long enough to find out where it is ... this one will crash any minute now. OK 7pm live .... red team vs white team. Oh its Urawa Reds (thanks big sign carrying man) vs a white team.

Urawa Reds destroy the other mob 4-1 thanks to an Emerson goal, a goal by another Brazilian and 2 OGs. Goal of the night was the third one. Urawa play a crappy ball across the other guys 6 yard box nobody near it... going out for a goal kick, no pressure. White boys defender has 2 choices:

|1) Watch it go out..possibly stop to tie my laces have a drink of water or adjust my underwear.
2) Stick my foot out and sidefoot it into the bottom corner of my own net for no reason.

Guess which one he chose?!?! 3-1!

After that was the highlights package where I managed to work out that Its was Yokohama vs San Frecce and Urawa Reds vs Albirex Niigata.

Full card was:

Oita Trinita 1-0 Shimizu S-Pulse 20,063
Jubilo Iwata 4-4 Kashima Antlers 28,679
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-2 Yokohama F¥Marinos 18,056
Vissel Kobe 3-3 Gamba Osaka 15,556
Tokyo Verdy 1969 3-1 Nagoya Grampus Eight 11,283
Urawa Reds 4-1 Albirex Niigata 49,435

So I make that 28 goals in 6 games...and more people at Urawa than will be at the entire K-League...in fact probably more people at Tokyo than will be at the biggest crowd. Wonder why Tokyo crowds suck?

From the games themselves they were a pretty good standard...defences were not K-League standard but going forward was much better. The strikers know how to finish and there were some impressive goals.

So...who needs K-LEague eh?

[Holyjoe]

toohyper said:

Kim Kun who?

Born: 24th June 1983, has represented Korea at U16, U17 and U20 level - that's all the information I can find about him!

A few more Koreans in Japan, these guys are current U20 internationals:

Lee Kang-jin (18, Tokyo Verdy)
Oh Jang-eun (19, FC Tokyo)