MY HOMEPAGE

SOUTH KOREA vs USA

Match Report below

Match Stats: -

Man of the Match: Brad Friedel (USA)

Teams:

South Korea:
                     1-Lee Woon-jae 
                     4-Choi Jin-cheul 
                   20-Hong Myung-bo 
                     7-Kim Tae-young 
                   22-Song Chong-gug 
                     5-Kim Nam-il 
                     6-Yoo Sang-chul (11-Choi Yong-soo 70) 
                   21-Park Ji-sung (14-Lee Chun-soo 38) 
                   13-Lee Eul-yong 
                   18-Hwang Sun-hong (19-Ahn Jung-hwan 56)  
                     9-Seol Ki-hyeon                

United States:
                     1-Brad Friedel  
                     2-Frankie Hejduk 
                   12-Jeff Agoos 
                   22-Tony Sanneh 
                   23-Eddie Pope 
                     5-John O'Brien 
                   10-Claudio Reyna 
                   17-DaMarcus Beasley (7-Eddie Lewis 75) 
                   21-Landon Donovan 
                   11-Clint Mathis (15-Josh Wolff 82) 
                   20-Brian McBride

Referee: Urs Meier (Switzerland)
Linesmen: Egon Bereuter (Austria) Ali Tomusange (Uganda)

Match Report: -

A top of the group clash for these two teams and there was a lot at stake, because the winner of this match, if there were to be one, would ensure a spot in the last 16.

The USA took the lead for the second time in as many matches through Clint Mathis. It was from a delightful chip down the centre , he controlled brilliantly with his right foot on just about the 18 yard line and then smashed it to the keepers left into the bottom of the corner with his left foot, a great goal.

Then the Koreans controversially won a penalty from which seemed a fair challenge. It was a 50-50 challenge, the young Korean lad stepped up to take it and he didn't look like he was confident about it as he struck it with no real power to the right hand side of the net. Brad Friedel, in goal, guessed right and he made a fantastic save to deny the Koreans a goal, but he needed the help of his defender to clear it for a corner as Friedel could only palm it out. He did excellent to keep the score 1-0 in the USA's favour and it stayed like that at the half time whistle.

After half time, the South Koreans came out and pinned the USA back and they went on the attack but just couldn't find a way through the excellent keeper, Brad Friedel. They eventually scored to draw things level after the 70th minute mark after an amazing 19 shots. The 60,000 spectators went wild as the nation celebrated the well earned point, and the USA may well have found themselves on the end of a defeat if it wasn't for keeper Brad Friedel.