The national soccer team, Hong Myung-bo, is speeding up the test for those born in the 2000s.
Since joining the Korean national soccer team, Hong Myung-bo has been continuously monitoring and monitoring young players. Since his first call-up, he has recruited Yang Min-hyuk (Gangwon FC), Um Ji-sung (Swansea City), and Choi Woo-jin (Incheon United), all of whom were born in the 2000s, signaling a change.
Last month, Kwon Hyuk-kyu (Hibernian), Kim Joo-sung (FC Seoul), and Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan) were also summoned by Hong. The team is also using Oh Se-hoon (Machida), who was born in 1999, and Oh Hyun-kyu (KRC Genk), who was born in 2001, as its main strikers.
As there are two years left until the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup, Hong’s plan is to increase the competitiveness of the finals through generational change.
However, not all players are running just because they are selected. As advancing to the World Cup finals is a top priority, some players who can create synergy with existing veteran agents are appointed. Some players are given time in the second half depending on the flow of the game, and others join as training partners to learn the atmosphere of the national team little by little.
In the match against Kuwait (4-1 win) held on the 14th (Korea time), defender Lee Tae-seok, born in 2002, and Lee Hyun-joo, born in 2003, were substituted in the second half. Lee Tae-seok replaced Lee Myung-jae as a left-side defender and Lee Hyun-joo as a second-line midfielder. Both of them are A-match debuts. In particular, Lee Tae-seok also recorded the third father-son national team participation with coach Lee Eul-yong.
“The players who made their debut in the second half had a difficult time zone, but they did their part well,” Hong said. With Bae Joon-ho already impressing with his stellar performance in the two consecutive games (against Jordan and Iraq) last month, competition among young players is also expected to intensify. 스포츠토토
Hong is the leader in the group with four wins and one draw (13 points) from five matches of the third round. It has achieved four consecutive wins since the first match against Palestine (0-0 draw). The team has widened the gap with Jordan and Iraq (eight points or more), which are ranking second, to five points. The team has a growing chance to advance to the finals.
The team will play the sixth game against the Palestinians in Amman, Jordan, on the 19th. The Palestinians remain at the bottom of the group with two draws and three losses. If Hong Myung-bo defeats his opponent from the beginning, chances are high that the opportunity to test “young blood” will increase further.