New players such as Ha Chang-rae (Nagoya), Park Seung-wook (Gimcheon), and Oh Se-hoon (Machidzelvia) will challenge in the absence of Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Cho Kyu-sung (Mitwillan), who were the core and built-in players of the national team’s offense.
On the 27th, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced a list of 23 players for the June A national team that will play against Singapore (6th) and China (11th) in the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup.
The national team, which is operated under the interim system of coach Kim Do-hoon, has seen a significant change in the squad. First of all, Kim Min-jae and Cho Kyu-sung, who played as the main players in the 2022 Qatar World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup, are out due to injuries.
It is the first time in exactly one year that Kim Min-jae was excluded from the national team due to basic military training in June last year, and Cho Gyu-seong has been excluded for the first time in a year and nine months since September 2022, just before the World Cup in Qatar. In addition, Seol Young-woo (Ulsan), who has recently emerged as a core player of the national team, has been excluded as he is undergoing rehabilitation after surgery.
As players who have played as built-ins for a long time are excluded, a gap is inevitable, and manager Kim Do-hoon plans to fill the position with new players.
First of all, Kwon Kyung-won (Suwon FC) and Cho Yoo-min (Sharza) are expected to be appointed as center backs without Kim Min-jae. The two have been constantly called on by the national team, but Kwon played 30 games and Cho five games, which did not make many appearances. For the two players, this two consecutive games are an opportunity to expand their presence in the national team.
New faces Ha Chang-rae and Park Seung-wook will also challenge. The two players, who have never been selected as national team players of different age groups, are the first national team players. Ha has strong defense and headers, and Park has strong play. Another important point to watch is whether the national team, which is set to advance to the final qualifying round for the World Cup in September, will be able to increase its pool of defense resources.
At the front line, Joo Min-kyu (Ulsan), who made his first A-match debut at the age of 33 years and 333 days in March, was relaunched, and Oh Se-hoon, who recently scored six goals in 16 games in the J-League, will compete for the one-top position.
With Hwang Ui-jo (Alanjaspor), who was the previous leader of the front line, missing side by side due to the sex video scandal and Cho Kyu-sung due to injury, attention is being paid to which of the two emerging strikers will take the opportunity.
The competition structure has also been completely reorganized for the position of the side defender. While Seol Young-woo, who has just emerged, is away, another two new faces have appeared.
Hwang Jae-won (Daegu) and Choi Joon (Seoul), who can play both fullbacks like Seol Young-woo, have recently performed well in the K-League. 메이저놀이터
Director Kim Do-hoon expressed his determination, saying, “I will prepare well so that the old and the new can be harmonized well.”