The Korea Herald

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Korean pro football club Gangwon to play friendly match in Vietnam

By a2016032

Published : May 26, 2017 - 16:09

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South Korean football club Gangwon FC will play a friendly match in Vietnam next month, a club official said Friday.

The official, who asked not to be named, said the K League Classic club will play a friendly match with a united team of Ho Chi Minh City FC and Sai Gon FC in Ho Chi Minh City on June 9.

Gangwon, currently sixth in the first division, signed Vietnamese international Luong Xuan Truong from Incheon United last season, and they have been working to explore the Vietnamese market. 

In this file photo taken on Jan. 9, 2017, Vietnamese footballer Luong Xuan Truong attends a ceremony at the Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul to mark his joining the South Korean football club Gangwon FC. (Yonhap) In this file photo taken on Jan. 9, 2017, Vietnamese footballer Luong Xuan Truong attends a ceremony at the Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul to mark his joining the South Korean football club Gangwon FC. (Yonhap)

The Gangwon official said Truong will play in the friendly match at his home, but South Korean forwards Lee Keun-ho and Jung Jo-gook will not travel with the squad because of their national team duties.

Lee was one of the 24 players selected by South Korean national football team head coach Uli Stielike for a friendly match against Iraq on June 8 and the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Qatar on June 13. Jung is on the reserve squad for the two matches.

Truong has yet to make his K League Classic debut this season.

However, the 22-year-old midfielder made his appearance with Gangwon's first time squad last week at the Korea Football Association Cup against Seongnam FC.

Gangwon, a newly promoted club from the second-tier K League Challenge, made a splash in this season's transfer window with a series of high-profile signings.

In addition to former Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year winner Lee Keun-ho and reigning scoring champion Jung Jo-gook, Gangwon inked deals with local big names, such as defender Oh Beom-seok, a national team veteran; goalkeeper Lee Bum-young, a key member of the Olympic bronze medal squad in 2012; and winger Kim Kyung-joong, who previously played with French teams like Girondin Bordeaux and SM Caen. (Yonhap)