Cha finding redemption with Bluewings

CARSON, Calif. -- His name is mentioned amid the best athletes out of Asia.

Cha Bum-Kun is the all-time leading scorer for South Korea's national team. He's recognized internationally for his success in the German Bundesliga. As a player, he's icon in his country.

Not so much as a coach. His unsuccessful stint as South Korea's national coach during the 1998 FIFA World Cup left a stain in Cha's career. It ultimately led to a five-year ban from coaching in his native land.

But things have gradually changed for Cha since returning to South Korea in 2003. He now coaches the Suwon Samsung Bluewings who opened Pan-Pacific Championship play Wednesday with a 1-0 win against Chinese club Shandong Luneng Taishan at The Home Depot Center.

It was the early cap of a double header on the tournament's opening night. With the win, the Bluewings move on to Saturday's title match against Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy, 2-0 victors against Japan's Oita Trinita.

The Pan-Pacific is a preseason tournament for the Bluewings and gives Cha a glimpse of what he can expect from his squad in the next K-League tournament.

"Overall, I am satisfied with the result. We were a little short in the first half, but we were able to make some changes and I think we did well," Cha said after the opening game victory.

Cha, known as "Cha Boom" for his booming ball-striking skills as a player, has helped build the Bluewings into one of Asia's elite clubs, winning K-League titles in 2004 and 2008, and a runner-up outing in 2007. A repeat will be in Cha's mind when South Korean league begins playing next month.

Against Shandong, last year's champion of the Chinese Super League, Cha's squad displayed some flashes similar to the fluid brand of soccer their coach became famous for as a player.

Quick touch-and-go passes, looking for the forwards was the dominant theme for the Bluewings.

The tactic paid off when Cho Yong-Tae scored in the 81st minute. Yong-Tae sent a soft rolling shot into an empty net after Shandong goalkeeper Li Leilei was left kicking air when he attempted a sliding tackle on Bluewings defender Lee Kwan-Woo just outside the box.

Lee leaped over Li then sent a short rolling pass to Cho, completing a counter attack fueled by quick touch-and-go passes.

The Bluewings held momentum for most of the second half after Cha Bum-Kun, to his benefit, subbed in Lee and Cho to start the second half.

"This is a great opportunity for us to participate in this tournament and try out new players and different ideas. It worked pretty well tonight," Cha said.

Cha benefited from a similar style of play in Germany where he was a standout forward during the 1980s. Most of his success came with Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen where he won UEFA Cup titles with each team.

He retired in 1989 after 308 career Bundesliga matches while scoring 98 goals. South Koreans remember him most for his accomplishments with the national team.

Cha raked in 121 international caps, scoring 55 goals. He helped South Korea qualify to its first World Cup in 1986. South Korea failed to reach the second round after facing a gruesome group schedule with losses to Italy and eventual champion Argentina and a tie against Bulgaria.

For those accomplishments and his work in the Bundesliga, the International Federation of Football History named him Asia's player of the century.

But that wasn't enough to keep Bum-Kun from leaving the country with his wife when he was fired as national team coach before his team could complete the group stage of the 1998 World Cup in France.

Cha was fired after an embarrassing 5-0 loss to the Netherlands. Stunned by the Korean federation's move, Cha lashed at his bosses by criticizing the federation. He accused federation officials of fixing matches in Korea. He was later banned from coaching in his country.

The ousted coach then took a job as a broadcast commentator in China after an 18-month stint coaching Shenzhen Pin'an in China.

"Three things are most important in my life," Cha said at the time to a Korean newspaper. "Football is my life's work but when I've suffered setbacks in my career, my family and religion has always helped me recover."

Cha never lost his reputation as a player. He's restored respect as a coach. His plan is to keep it. The Pan-Pacific championship -- and another K-League title -- might help.