Yokohama F. Marinos players Ahn Jung Hwan and Yoo Sang Chul have been named to the South Korean national team for the first-round opener of the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2006 World Cup, the Korean Football Association said Monday.
Kyoto Purple Sanga striker Choi Yong Soo was left off the squad, which faces Lebanon in the first World Cup qualifier at home, but 13 of the 23 members are those who helped South Korea reach the semifinals of the World Cup the country cohosted with Japan two years ago.
South Korea plays Lebanon, Vietnam and Maldives in Group 7 in the first-round qualifiers.