Hong Myung-baek has made changes to his squad, bringing in younger attackers for the upcoming North American campaign.
South Korea’s national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo held a press conference at the Jongno Football Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday to announce the 26-man roster for the Taegeuk Warriors’ second match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America in October.
The Taeguk Warriors will face Jordan in Amman, Jordan, on Oct. 10 in their third qualifying Group B match, followed by the fourth match at home against Iraq on Oct. 15.
Iraq (55th) and Jordan (68th) are the highest-ranked countries in Group B after South Korea (23rd).
Jordan, in particular, is coming off a heartbreaking loss to South Korea in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar earlier this year. Korea also drew 1-1 in the group stage of the tournament.
Ahead of the two-game series, which is likely to be the biggest test of the trip to North America, Hong has made changes to his attacking lineup.
In addition to the usual suspects of Lee Min-kyu (Ulsan) and Oh Se-hoon (Zelvia), he added Oh Hyun-gyu, who plays for Belgian side Genk, to the front line.
The 23-year-old has scored a goal in two straight games and an offensive point in three consecutive games despite playing mostly as a substitute for his club.
It’s been eight months since he earned his first cap since the World Cup in Qatar.
Also in the second line of defense, 21-year-old Bae Junho (Stoke City), who has been performing well for Stoke City in the English second division, received his first call-up from Hong. Bae earned his first call-up to the senior national team in May’s A match under interim coach Kim Do-hoon.
There are also a few changes in the midfield and defense.
Midfielder Kwon Hyuk-kyu (Hibernian), a regular in the Scottish League, was honored with his first cap, while Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) earned his first cap six months after the March A-Match.
In central defense, where Hong is struggling to find a center-back partner for Kim Min-jae (Munich), FC Seoul stalwart Kim Joo-sung was named to the squad for the first time since the Asian Cup in Qatar.
Other key overseas players such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) remain unchanged.
However, Son Heung-min, who was injured in a recent match for his club, may not be available for the October A match, Hong said.
Son Heung-min, who complained of pain in the muscle behind his thigh (hamstring) during the UAFA Europa League (UEL) match on Sept. 27 (local time), was not named in the starting lineup for the regular season match against Manchester United earlier in the day. 카지노사이트 추천