What kind of players will be Hong Myung-bo’s “first choice” to take the helm of the Korean national soccer team amid strong opposition from fans.
Coach Hong Myung-bo will announce the list of national teams to participate in the September A-match at 11 a.m. on the 26th at the Korea Football Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The players selected by Hong will play the second round of the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup between North Korea and China.
It will face Oman at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on September 5 and at 11 p.m. on September 10 at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
It is the first time in more than a decade that Hong, who resigned in July 2014, will return to the national team head coach.
Hong took the helm of the national team in June 2013, replacing Choi Kang-hee, but had the worst period of his leadership career at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
At that time, 12 members of the 2012 London Olympics were included in the final list, causing the “Loyalty Controversy,” and Hong Myung-bo left forlornly with one draw and two losses without winning a single game in the group stage.
For a year until he resigned in July 2014, Hong only left a poor report card of five wins, four draws and 10 losses.
For Hong, the A-match period in September is an opportunity to change his performance as a national team head coach, which has been fixed at a “win rate of 26.3%” for 10 years.
Coach Hong, who was officially appointed early last month, completed the formation of the coaching staff on the 21st.
It took 46 days to bring in European ‘tactics’ João Arroso and Chiagua Maia to reinforce the team’s tactical aspects.
Coach Hong, who called coaches Park Geon-ha, Kim Dong-jin and Kim Jin-kyu as domestic coaches, is fully prepared and now selects players who will realize his soccer on the ground.
Immediately after taking the helm, Hong went to Europe and met with the main players of the national team’s offense, midfielders and defense, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich).
While a large number of these European players, who are the national team’s key players and “skeletons,” are expected to be selected, attention is being paid to how coach Hong will set up a domestic team.
Coach Hong is the one who knows the K-League best among the national team leadership in recent years.
Unlike former coaches Paulo Bento and Jurgen Klinsmann, they have competed in the K-League until recently. He led Ulsan HD for several years from 2020 to last month, winning twice in the K-League 1.
It is what Hong has been doing for years to analyze the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of the K-League team players who face off every round, as well as Ulsan, and prepare tactics and strategies accordingly.
With Cho Kyu-sung (Mit Willan) out due to injury, it is expected that “Ajeja” Joo Min-gyu (Ulsan) will be selected as the front line.
Attention is also focusing on whether Yang Min-hyuk, a high school student who leads Gangwon FC’s K League 1 lead with eight goals and five assists this season, will be selected.
Beyond Hong’s personal honor, these two games are important even if you look at Korean soccer as a whole.
Since former coach Klinsman was replaced in February, Korea has played all four A-matches in March and June under a temporary manager system.
Under Hwang Sun-hong and Kim Do-hoon, South Korea performed as expected with 3 wins and 1 draw, but the tactics changed every time a new head coach took the helm, and the players had to adapt anew every time.
Coach Hong, who will continue his term beyond the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup to the Saudi Arabian Asian Cup in January-February 2027, was tasked with planting long-term philosophy and consistent tactics in Korean soccer.
Coach Hong, who has emphasized the importance of the so-called “Korean Football Technology Philosophy” (MIK, Made In Korea), which connects all national teams from A team to national teams by age, is also in a position to convince fans who are critical of him by showing the soccer he had envisioned since the “return match.” 먹튀검증
Coach Hong said at a press conference on the 29th of last month, “This is an important transition period to grow long-term around the national team and build the philosophy, direction and system of Korean soccer in detail,” adding, “We will run the national team under the keywords of respect, dialogue, responsibility, and commitment.”
Coach Hong will convene the team for the first time on September 2 to begin tempering.