Facing the Koreans

As part of their pre-season preparation, Phnom Penh Crown will meet a visiting team from the best footballing nation in Asia, if you trust the World Cup and AFC Champions League form-book. South Korean football has been at the top of the Asian football rankings for the last few years, so it will be an exciting comparison for Crown, who are scheduled to meet the Korean All Stars Union FC at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday 9 December, with the KO set for 4.30pm. The game will be shown live on TV11, so the kick-off time has still to be confirmed. So who are the All Stars Union team you might ask? They're a group of friends, who are coming to Cambodia to play this match and enjoy a holiday during their off-season, and who just happen to be packed to the gills with experienced professionals who ply their trade in the top divisions of both the Korean and the Japanese Leagues. This is not a minor university team like Ulsan University, who gave the Cambodian national team a run for their money in the last couple of years, but a team made up of players with genuine experience in the highest levels of Asian football. Korean football is known for its competitive nature, physical prowess, pace and hard work combined with a high level of technical ability, so Crown can expect a tough pre-season warm-up game ahead of them. The game is likely to be televised.

Of the visiting squad of sixteen players, only defender Kim Kun Hoan has worn the shirt of the Korean Republic national team. The 26-year old, who has played in the J-League for the past five years with Yokohama Mariners, Montedio Yamagata and Sagan Tosu, played in the 2008 Olympics and made his senior debut against Oman. Four of the squad currently perform in the Japanese League. Defender Choi Jae Eun is with V Varen Nagasaki, joining the J-Leaguers from Incheon United. Midfielder Kim Jung Hyun is just 22 and plays with FC Gifu, whilst Moon Joo Won played with Daegu and Gangwon in Korea before moving to Sagan Tosu. Eight of the squad are with clubs in the Korean top flight with a key man to watch being 23-year old striker Jung Sung Min, the K-League reserve's top scorer before stepping up to the Gangwon team last year. The others are: Lee Ho (Gangwon, Daejeon Citizen), Kang Woo Ram (Bucheon, Daejeon), An Dong Hyeok (Gwangju), Lim Hyun Woo (Daegu), Jung Chul Woon (Gangwon, Daejeon), Han Deok Hee (Incheon, Daejeon), Kim Nam Chun (FC Seoul), joining Pattaya United's Ko Jii Man and two Kwangwoon University players, Song Chi Hun and Lee Hu Gwon. After playing against PPCFC, the Koreans will head to Sihanoukville for a few days R&R before heading home and the start of their domestic season in March.

Choi Jae Eun from V Varen Nagasaki

Striker Jung Sung Min from Gangwon

With FC Gifu in the J-League, Kim Jung Hyun

Kim Kun Hoan has spent the last 5 years in the J-League

Midfielder Moon Joo Won was last with Sagan Tosu in Japan