Team Korea’s national team ace, Son Heung-min, has been put to the test.
The Korean men’s national soccer team led by Coach Hong Myung-bo will have a showdown with Jordan in the third Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North-China (U.S.-Canada-Mexico) at 11 p.m. on Saturday (Korea time). It will face Iraq at Yongin Mir Stadium on Saturday.
Ahead of the October A-match, the news came as a bolt out of the blue. Son Heung-min was eliminated due to injury. The Korea Football Association (KFA) officially announced on Monday that Son needs rest due to his left thigh injury, and decided to exclude him from the call-up in October to protect his players. Hong Hyun-suk (Mainz) will be replaced.
Coach Hong Myung-bo needs to come up with a game plan without Son. In September, Coach Hong made his first debut despite various controversies. The results were not satisfactory, with one win and one draw, and neither was his performance. He needs to display good performance this October in order to calm down any criticism.
However, not being able to use Son is a big blow to the team. Son displayed influence in the national team in September as well. In the match against Palestine, Son had multiple opportunities, but failed to score a goal. He also had bad luck to hit the post. At the match against Oman, he scored one goal and two assists, driving the team to a 3-1 victory.
It is true that Son Heung-min’s form is not as good as he was in his prime recently. He has been less aggressive in attack situations and fewer attempts to shoot. Nevertheless, it is difficult to say immediately that we should use other players except Son Heung-min. That’s how much Son Heung-min occupies the national team. The key is for Hong Myung-bo to fill the vacancy of Son Heung-min.
In the long run, it may be a good opportunity. Korea’s goal is to get a good result at the 2026 World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. Various tactics and strategies are needed to achieve a good result in international competitions. Depending on the situation, the team may have to play without Son. Through this match, we can prepare a strategy without Son. 메이저사이트
A new ace named Lee Kang-in appeared in the national team. If the game is organized around Lee Kang-in, he can lead the game in a different direction than before. Lee Kang-in is the most threatening player when he catches the ball. Since there is no Son Heung-min, the number of times Lee Kang-in catches the ball will increase. In such a situation, there is a high possibility that a good scene will come out through Lee Kang-in’s left foot. If the opponent sees through it and focuses on stopping Lee Kang-in, he may use other players as bait. In this game, we have to prepare for the absence of Son Heung-min in various ways.
Meanwhile, the last match the Korean team played without Son was in October last year under Jurgen Klinsmann. Son rested at the match against Tunisia, and Korea won 4-0. As the team faces Jordan and Iraq, which are more difficult than Tunisia, attention is focusing on how Hong will perform.