Lee Seung-woo @ Barcelona youth [R]

WW

 

While we can hope for a positive future, we must also remember they are very very young. No need to go crazy over them yet.

 

will they be the next messi? maybe

is it smart to be cautious until they break the first team? yes

is it ok to be excited? absolutely

even if they dont make it to the first team they are still at arguably the best academy in the world at the moment. at the very least they will make it onto someones european side in the future. generally the kids given the 9, 10, and 11 numbers are regarded as the best also. while its not good to pin your hopes on them its fully ok to get excited and follow their progress imo. especially because they will hopefully be on the first team border in 4 years time.

 

Monkey chants or not, he was their best player in Euro 2008 so whatever, haha. Besides, I don't think he had to up with any of that.

All this fear of these Korean kids playing for Spain is ridiculous.

 

Not fear. Just curiosity. Mostly because I (and probably a number of people on this forum) would have played for the US if I were at all talented at soccer, especially if all my friends were on the team.

Well, its too early to get too excited, but it doesn't hurt to keep tabs on these things.

 

I don't think the idea of Korean-Americans playing for the United States is at all comparable. First of all, there's a sizable ethnically-Korean population in the United States. Secondly, the Korean and American teams are similar in terms of talent, so the degree of difficulty in making it to either team is similar as well.

These young Korean players were born and raised in Korea (right?), and only went over to Spain for footballing reasons. And the level of difficulty in cracking even the Spanish bench is almost infinitely more difficult than cracking the starting lineup for the Korean squad.

These native Koreans would be trading in national glory and playing time in order to, what, hang out with their hombres? Not likely.

 

They've been there since they've been 12? I have lots of pals who are pretty darn banana-like after less time in the states.

And in fact, the lack of a Kor-Am community can compound the banana-ization as you need more western culture to enjoy being a teenager. Instead of singing k-pop in noraebangs, reading korean newspapers and doing other such things, you're hanging out with your spanish friends. Like I did as the only minority in my town.

And of course, if these guys don't end up being great players that its a moot point since they will go where they can play. But you're talking about good prospects in the best academy of the best club in the world. Barca doesn't develop these talents just to sell em off. If they become good enough to star for Barca's first team, I'm pretty sure they'd be good enough for the NT.

Anyways, again this is all sooo far away. Between injuries, plateauing of talent, etc. there are way too many variables to call it "fear".

 

true, but if you take baek seung ho as an example, he's already pretty famous in korea. if he decided to switch nationalities, there would be hell to pay.

 

I'd agree. But if he were to say find a spanish wife, and choose making millions instead of doing military service, and essentially live like a spaniard, I don't think he'd care at the end of the day like a lot of KorAm (EDIT: by these I mean Koreans who came to the states as a teenager) men I know who have taken on US citizenship for far less financial incentive.

 

Our kids will play for the KNT b/c they have pride. And if they were raised properly by good parents, there's no need for all this conjecture/hypothesising.

They're also young enough that there are a few different ways to get them military exemption before they turn 18.

 

Marcos Senna...right 2008 not 2010.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl5gBJGnaXs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl5gBJGnaXs[/ame]

 

Lol the kids are only there because the kfa.

 

Does the fact that these kids go to school and essentially live in Spain not change their obligation to serve in the military? I'm only curious cause I know that LCY didn't have to serve b/c he dropped out and in the case of these academy kids they essentially dropped out of the Korean school system as well (albeit to go to school in Spain).

 

I know kids who grew up in the US and had to serve in the military because they chose Korean citizenship at the age of 18.

 

I also think they explicitly closed that loophole.

 

Parents have to have permanent residency (green card), and they have to file an exemption for their son through the consulate/embassy before their son turns 18.

 

Road Trip!!

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR3gTq4jqmY"]C.D. Canillas vs FC Barcelona - XI Torneo Internacional Infantil 2011 - YouTube[/ame]

14 minute video from one match. Mentions "coreanos" a lot. But not too many ball touches

 

Wow... Super high quality video of Infantil A!! I wonder who uploaded it
I hope to see some more videos like this... especially Paik's match

 

What happens if an exemption wasn't filed for the son?

 

BOOT CAMP... It could happen the minute you arrive back at the airport, the first time you're home after you're 18.

 

He's good looking ain't he

 

LOLOLOL.

Anyway, I find it extremely disturbing that we have a thread about a 13 year old and that the topic has now become "he's good looking."

 

Just wait for ganahal's trademark 'poobs[sic] on goch' comment. As for the 미국 교포 kid playing for knt, I'm pretty sure they would get the tadanari treatment.

 

They wouldn't, unless that "미국 교포" 1) sucks, 2) is too weak minded to prove himself, 3) can't speak a word of Korean, 4) unsure of whether or not he should identify himself as Korean.

If it's 3 or 4, which was the case with Tadanari (although he's all of the above IMO), he shouldn't represent Korea to begin with.