South Korea to Face El Salvador in Final World Cup Tuneup

Herriman, United States, June 1 (Yonhap) -- Fresh off a comfortable win over Trinidad and Tobago, South Korea will try to keep building momentum ahead of the FIFA World Cup in their final tuneup against El Salvador.

World No. 25 South Korea will take on 100th-ranked El Salvador at BYU South Field in Provo, Utah, at 7 p.m. Wednesday (local time), or 10 a.m. Thursday (South Korean time).

South Korea cruised to a 5-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday at the same venue on the campus of Brigham Young University. Captain Son Heung-min netted twice in the first half of that win, and his replacement in the second half, Cho Gue-sung, also grabbed a brace. Hwang Hee-chan scored a second-half penalty to join the fun.

Defender Lee Gi-hyuk also impressed in just his second international match, making sharp passes from the back and jumping into the attack with the confidence of a seasoned veteran.

Lee was one of just two starters to play the entire match, as head coach Hong Myung-bo gave as many players possible a chance to see action. He made nine substitutions, including the swapping of his starting goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo for Kim Seung-gyu in the second half.

Third-string keeper Song Bum-keun, left back Lee Tae-seok and midfielder Yang Hyun-jun were among those who remained on the bench, while striker Oh Hyeon-gyu wasn't in the squad list as he is dealing with a minor injury.

Hong will likely go to a rotation and give some of the subs from the earlier match a chance to start against El Salvador. Oh, who was thought to have the inside track on the starting striker job before the injury kept him out against Trinidad and Tobago, may also see action this time.

Against Trinidad and Tobago, South Korea's offense developed more flow as the match progressed, but their defense was barely tested. Trinidad and Tobago managed only two shot attempts and had possession just about 29 percent of the time.

The defenders may find themselves in a similar situation against El Salvador, who, like Trinidad and Tobago, failed to qualify for the World Cup.

The earlier victory came at a cost for South Korea, as starting center back Cho Yu-min suffered a foot injury that ultimately knocked him out of the World Cup. Cho Wi-je, who had been selected as one of three training partners and traveled to Utah with the rest of the team, replaced Cho Yu-min on the final squad.

Midfielder Bae Jun-ho also picked up a right ankle injury during that match, but national team officials have said it's not so severe that it will rule him out of the tournament.

South Korea welcomed Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Lee Kang-in to camp Monday. He was the last player to report to camp, with PSG playing and winning the UEFA Champions League final in Hungary on Saturday.

Lee didn't play in the final against Arsenal and could see some action against El Salvador to shake off the cobwebs.