Goalies Kim Seung-gyu, Kim Jin-hyeon vie for starter under Coach Stielike

The initial single appointment could effectively result in inferiority for good. Once a goalie is named the starting member ahead of a major championship, the goalie hardly changes. Just as Lee Woon-jae (42, incumbent goalies’ coach for Korea’s Olympic team), who was picked in a competition with Kim Byung-ji (45, Jeonnam Dragons) ahead of the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan, continued to serve as starter through the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

“The goalie should not only tightly seal the goal, but also maintain good teamwork and communications with defenders," said Kim Hyeon-tae, head of the scout team at FC Seoul who served as goalies’ coach under national team Coach Guus Hiddink. "If defenders feel anxious of the goalie, he can never be the starting goalie. Hence, once picked, the goalie is rarely replaced.”

Ahead of the Asian Cup soccer championship that will kick off on Friday in Australia, the race between goalies Kim Seung-gyu (25, Ulsan Hyundai) and Kim Jin-hyeon (28, Cerezo Osaka) to become the starting goalie reminds soccer fans of the "memories from the year 2002." Only on the eve of Korea’s first round group match with Poland at the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan, Lee was finally named the starting goalie of the national team. It will likely remain undecided who will be the starting goalie until the opening day of the upcoming event again this time.

Coach Uli Stielike of the Korean national team deployed Kim Jin-hyeon as the starting goalie in the exhibition match (Korea wins 2-0) against Saudi Arabia on Sunday. Kim performed fairly well, even blocking an opponent team player’s overhead kick that almost constituted a goal, but he had to make way for younger colleague Kim Seung-gyu in the second half. Stielike’s player deployment tactic suggests that he is still evaluating the two candidates. Chung Sung-ryong (30, Suwon Samsung), who is reeling from injury, did not participate in the match.

Under Coach Stielike, Kim Jin-hyeon is spearheading the shifting trend in the competition for the national team to pick its flagship goalie by starting in three of the five exhibition matches, including the one on Sunday. Kim has no experience at major championships, but he is said to be agile and speedy despite his tall height measuring 193 centimeters. He played as wild card at the Incheon Asian Games in 2014, and contributed to Korea winning the gold medal for the first time in 28 years, but has had no experience in playing at a World Cup or Olympic event.

Kim Byung-ji, who remains an active duty goalie at age 45, said, “Competition always exists everywhere. There is no team designed for me, and I should assimilate myself to the team.” At the time in 2002, Kim displayed rather aggressive play by moving forward up to the half line during matches, and thus failed to win Coach Hiddink’s endorsement.

Lee Woon-jae, who was picked by Hiddink at the time, said, “I only exerted all-out effort.” On competition to become the starting goalie for the current national team, Kim said, “I am not in a position to interfere with. I will not make any comment,” adding, “After all, the one who survives will prevail.”

Will it be Kim Seung-gyu or Kim Jin-hyeon? Attention is focusing on who will start as the goalie in Korea’s first match against Oman, which will take place at the Canberra Stadium at 2 p.m. on Saturday.