Coach Hong Myung-bo (55), who is speeding up the generational change of the national soccer team, is focusing on finding another new face.
According to the Korea Football Association (KFA) on the 22nd, Hong, who left the country last week, will return home early next week after passing through Europe and the Middle East. If his first overseas business trip in July, which he went up shortly after taking office, was aimed at interviewing foreign coaches and meeting with key players such as Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham), there is a difference in that this time, his second overseas business trip, is focused solely on “finding new players.” A KFA official said, “We plan to watch and interview players’ games that have not been selected so far.”
Coach Hong is already focusing on generational change since his appointment. In September, Yang Min-hyuk (18), Hwang Moon-ki (28, Gangwon FC), Choi Woo-jin (20, Incheon United) and Lee Han-beom (22, Mit Willan) were given the chance to join the A-team for the first time in a long time, while Um Ji-sung (22, Swansea City) and Kim Joon-hong (21, Jeonbuk Hyundai) were also selected for the first time in a long time. He also selected Kwon Hyuk-kyu (21, Hibernian) for the first time in October, and gave Oh Hyun-kyu (23, Genk), Park Min-gyu (29, Consadore Sapporo) and Lee Seung-woo (26, Jeonbuk) the opportunity to call up the national team for the first time in a long time. In general, the team is giving young players in their early 20s a chance.
The purpose of this overseas business trip is to find another player. The player who is drawing the most attention is definitely striker Lee Young-joon (21) of Grashofer. When the national team’s roster was announced in October, Hong already pointed out Lee Young-joon and explained, “We will continue to observe it because it is a future resource for Korean soccer.” With new offensive resources such as Oh Hyun-kyu and Oh Se-hoon (25, Machida Zelvia) in place, competition between the front lines is expected to intensify if Lee Young-joon joins the team, which is slowing down compared to last month.
Jung Woo-young (25, Woonion Berlin), who has not been able to reach the national team since March, is also a resource that is constantly attracting attention as a second-tier resource. As he is showing his presence in his team in the German Bundesliga, he can fully expect to re-win the national team. Yang Hyun-joon (22, Celtic), another second-tier resource who has not been able to get a chance from his team, is also expected to be checked by Hong himself. 메이저놀이터
Won Doo-jae (27) and Kwon Kyung-won (32), who are eating together in Corpacan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), are expected to be observed by Hong as defensive midfielders and center back resources, respectively. In particular, Won Doo-jae had a relationship with Hong during the Ulsan HD, and defensive midfielders are considered the most urgent position to change generations. Kwon Kyung-won was already called by Hong in September but was excluded due to injury. Considering that next month’s schedule is two consecutive games in the Middle East, chances are high that the opportunity will return to Middle East players.
In the K-League, with coach Kim Jin-kyu and others monitoring the players, Hong will announce the list of players to play in the third Asian qualifying round for the FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. on November 4 after completing an overseas inspection. After that, Hong will play an away match against Kuwait on the 14th and then face off against the Palestinians in the neutral zone of Amman, Jordan, on the 19th.