“I want to get to know each other as soon as possible.” The first day of the September A match call-up training held at Goyang Stadium on Tuesday was full of excitement and awkwardness. The new coach Hong Myung-bo, who took the helm of the A-team for the first time in a decade, is now in an unfamiliar and new environment with all the newly appointed coaches, support staff and players. This is a common feeling among the team that is making a fresh start for the new captain. Before the first training session, the coaching staff introduced themselves one by one, and the players welcomed them with applause. As four players (Hwang Moon-ki, Lee Han-woo and Yang Min-hyuk) were chosen for the first time, there was an unfamiliar atmosphere. Yang Min-hyuk, who was born in 2006 with a baby face, looked unfamiliar with everything. He is the youngest who can hardly talk to others until the older brothers talk to him. Staff members stationed at various training sites under the former coach Jurgen Klinsmann were filled with different faces. Coach João Arroso and Thiago Maia each carried out new duties as well as Park Geon-ha, Kim Jin-gyu, and Kim Dong-jin. Coach Aroso conducted tactical training with three field players (Jeong Seung-hyun, Park Yong-woo, residents’ regulations) who participated in the field training on the day. It was impressive to see him pass the ball in person and guide the ball passionately. Hong, who returned to the national team for the first time since 2014, said, “I had many thoughts when I left home. I can feel the excitement and fear.”
Hong is aware of all the characteristics and advantages and disadvantages of the 26 players he selected ahead of the two consecutive A-match games in September, but not many players have lived together with the national team or their teams. Lee Jae-seong, a 32-year-old veteran midfielder who played 88 A-match games, was selected as a member of the national team for the first time in 2015, when the “Hong Myung-bo 1st generation” ended. “I was honestly scared because I heard something about him,” Lee said in a surprise confession. Players who are playing with Hong for the first time will also feel the same way. “They are full of charisma and force. Being in the same team, they are just cool.” Um Ji-seong of Swansea City said with a smile. Players need to get acquainted with each other quickly, but it is beneficial for coaches and players to get closer as soon as possible to win the title they want in the first round of the third Asian qualifying match for the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup against Palestine. Lee Jae-seong claimed that he will serve as a bridge between the existing players and the new players. Having a younger brother in the national team, Um said, “I want to get acquainted with Choi Woo-jin and Yang Min-hyuk as soon as possible.”
“That’s not true. I don’t like to talk to the players much, and I didn’t particularly talk to them when the players are good, so I think I would have that image,” Hong said after hearing Lee Jae-sung’s “scary” remark. 안전놀이터 “I think I should approach the players in a friendly way. Since I have a few players who have lived with me, I hope they tell me (other players) that I am not like that,” he said with a smile. Perhaps the first mission of Kim Young-kwon, the “Ajeja” has been decided. Hong said, “I will not repeat the culture of entering a training site wearing a suit like I did 10 years ago.” “I don’t prefer rules that show outwardly, and I like being free. I will convey to the players how to stay comfortable while keeping the line. I am thinking about how to create a team atmosphere and what kind of culture I will create so that the players can only think of good performance after a long time coming to the national team,” he said.
19 out of 26 players gathered on the day due to schedule of their teams belonging to European leagues. Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) will join the team immediately after arriving in Korea on Tuesday. “I really want to play the first match for our country, not for me,” said Hong, who will hold the match against Palestine on May 5 and the away match against Oman on May 10. “Finally, the final qualifying round for the World Cup begins. We need to work together with the coach to move forward,” Lee Jae-sung said.