Coach trying to temper expectations on nat'l striker following injury layoff
Hong Myung-bo, right, head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, chats with his captain Son Heung-min during a training session at the National Football Center in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Nov. 10. Yonhap
With former World Cup hero Cho Gue-sung back on the national team for the first time in 20 months, Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo tried to ease the burden on the 27-year-old striker and temper expectations Monday.
Hong opened training camp ahead of a pair of upcoming friendly matches at the brand-new National Football Center in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. The Taegeuk Warriors will host Bolivia at 8 p.m. Friday at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in the central city of Daejeon and then take on Ghana at 8 p.m. next Tuesday at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the capital city.
Cho, forward for the Danish club FC Midtjylland, was the most notable pick by Hong earlier this month. He last played for Korea during the second round of the Asian World Cup qualification in March 2024, with nine goals in 39 matches for the country.
Cho enjoyed a star turn during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He netted two goals in a 3-2 loss to Ghana in their group stage showdown, becoming the first Korean to score multiple goals in a single World Cup match.
Cho underwent knee surgery in May last year but ended up missing well over a year after suffering complications from the procedure. He returned to action in August and has scored four goals in 15 matches in all competitions so far this season.
Asked about Cho's role on the team this month, Hong hinted he won't ask the striker to be the team's savior right away.
"I think he is fully back from his injury physically, but he may not have the perfect match sharpness yet," Hong told reporters before the training session. "I picked him for this month because I felt the national team could help move past the dark period he experienced during his rehab. If we'd waited until March (for the next international window), it would have been a little too late ahead of the World Cup. We wanted to give him some good vibes during the national team camp and help him feed off that energy once he's back with the club.
"I am sure we all know what he can bring to the table as a forward," Hong continued. "But I hope people don't expect too much out of him this time around. That would put too much pressure on him. This is part of the process for us to help him get into a better spot for next year."
Cho Gue-sung of FC Midtjylland is in action against Nottingham Forest during the clubs' UEFA Europa League league phase match at City Ground in West Bridgford, England, Oct. 2. EPA-Yonhap
Even if Cho won't be asked to carry the scoring load, Hong noted that he still has plenty of options up front, including KRC Genk forward Oh Hyeon-gyu, who has scored in three straight matches for his Belgian club, and Los Angeles Football Club superstar Son Heung-min, who has set Major League Soccer on fire with his goal-scoring prowess.
While Cho is back in the mix, Hong has injury issues to worry about in the midfield. Hwang In-beom of Feyenoord, a key defensive midfielder, has been dropped from the squad with a thigh injury. One of his potential replacements, Paik Seung-ho of Birmingham City, had to be cut as well Monday after suffering a shoulder injury in a recent league match. Attacking midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong is out with a broken rib he picked up playing for Ulsan HD FC on Sunday.
"The middle of the field is really important in football, and we will be without all the veterans who played for us during the World Cup qualifiers (earlier this year)," Hong said. "We have to build something new at such a critical juncture, and we will be in close communication with the new faces as we prepare for these matches."
These November matches will be Korea's final ones for 2025. There will be another match window in March next year, and then it will be off to the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Hong said winning is the primary goal from here and on.
"Results are the most important thing at this moment, with four official matches left for us," the coach said. "The key for us is to win these four matches and gain some confidence."