Nat'l football coach looks to usher in new era with fresh faces
Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the Korean men's national football team, speaks at a press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Jongno District, Seoul, Aug. 26. Yonhap
As he prepares for some immediate tasks at hand, namely World Cup qualifying matches, Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo is also keeping one eye on the future of the country's national team program.
It was with this mindset that Hong selected four international rookies to his 26-man squad Monday for the pair of World Cup qualifying matches next month.
The quartet is led by Yang Min-hyeok, the 18-year-old offensive dynamo for the K League 1-leading Gangwon FC. Less flashy but no less important to Gangwon is defender Hwang Moon-gi, who earned his first international call-up at age 27.
The duo will be joined by Lee Han-beom of FC Midtjylland and Choi Woo-jin of Incheon United. Six other players have logged zero or one cap in their previous call-ups.
In explaining his choices, Hong said he wanted to pave the way for a new generation of players to step into the senior national team program and thrive.
"The biggest key to this team is to ensure some stability from previous iterations of the team while also bringing some changes," Hong said at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul. "I wanted to create an environment where young and inexperienced players can come into the national team setting at any moment and get into matches. To do that, they will have to train with the rest of the veterans and build relationships."
Yang Min-hyeok of Gangwon FC answers to a reporter's question in Songpa District, Seoul, July 29. Yonhap
Yang is by far the biggest name of the new group. He leads all first-year players in the K League 1 this year with eight goals and five assists. He signed for Tottenham Hotspur in July, becoming the youngest South Korean player to ink a deal with a Premier League club. Yang will complete his ongoing K League campaign first and then join Spurs in January next year.
"He is slightly off his peak form from January, but I think he has done enough this season to deserve a spot on the national team," Hong said. "His body of work for this season speaks for itself, and I think this was the right time to give him this opportunity."
Choi, 20, is the second youngest of the rookie group. Hong said he had first taken note of Choi as an opposing coach in the K League, while he was leading Ulsan HD FC before taking the national team job.
"When I met him as an opponent, I knew he was a good player. And then I've seen two of his matches since becoming the national team coach, and I could see that he played with precision," Hong said. "He's just 20 years old, and he has room to grow in some physical aspects. But he is really an intriguing player."
Hong, a former defender himself, said the national team has long had difficulty finding quality players in fullback positions on either side. He feels Choi can be a solution on the left.
Hong said Lee, 22, was selected with an eye toward the future, hinting that he may not get match action right away but will be given an opportunity to grow by training with more established players.
The coach reserved some high praise for Hwang, saying he has been the most important player to Gangwon's unexpected rise to the top of the K League 1 table.
"I think he has contributed more to their success than any other player," Hong said. "I've seen his last three matches, and he has been the most consistent player for them."
To kick off Group B play in the third round of the Asian qualification, Korea will host Palestine in Seoul on Sept. 5 and then face Oman in Muscat five days later.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup having expanded from 32 nations to 48, more teams out of Asia than in the past will qualify. While that should make the qualification path easier for Korea, Hong insisted that the big tournament itself will be more challenging than before.
"I feel that the qualification is easier only in the sense that there are more quota places available in Asia. I am not saying playing Asian teams will be any easier," said Hong, whose team will also play Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait in Group B. The top two teams from each of the three groups in the third round will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the teams ranked third and fourth will move on to the fourth round.
"We haven't had an easy qualification over the past 20 or so years, other than for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar," said Hong, who first coached Korea at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and resigned after recording a draw and two losses. "And we won't have much time to practice before these qualifying matches. For us to take the next step, we'll have to work even harder. And it's important to keep developing young talent in order to be more competitive at the World Cup."
Hong also stressed that players who have been around must set a good example.
"In all team sports, dedication and commitment are really important, and I firmly believe that there's no player greater than the team," Hong said. "I won't be a control freak, but I would prefer players come here with humility. I think players that have been on the national team consistently over the years would understand this, and I will be in constant communication with new players about the direction of the national team." (Yonhap)