Caretaker boss for nat'l football team has high expectations for int'l rookies

Caretaker boss for nat'l football team has high expectations for int'l rookies

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For Korea's two upcoming World Cup qualifying matches this month, caretaker manager Kim Do-hoon

has selected seven players who have never played for the senior national team.

And before the team departed for Singapore on Sunday for the first of those two contests, Kim insisted

those seven players won't just be passengers along for the ride.

"They have all been playing great in their respective leagues, and they all have good qualities," Kim told

reporters at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul. "I think they will all be competitive in their

own right at their positions."

Korea will face Singapore on Thursday at the National Stadium in Singapore and then host China in Seoul

on June 11 to conclude Group C action in the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA

World Cup.

Kim was named to the temporary role on May 20, with the Korea Football Association (KFA) unable to

find a full-time replacement for Jurgen Klinsmann, who was fired in February.

Of Kim's 23 players, seven have been called up to the senior team for the first time. The group includes

former stars of underage national teams in FC Machida Zelvia forward Oh Se-hun, Stoke City midfielder

Bae Jun-ho, Daegu FC defender Hwang Jae-won and FC Seoul defender Choi Jun.

Pohang Steelers goalkeeper Hwang In-jae, Gimcheon Sangmu FC defender Park Seung-wook and Nagoya

Grampus defender Ha Chang-rae have never previously represented the country at any age level.

"On defense, I selected players who have shown some aggressiveness, not some passive types," coach Kim

explained. "Some of our mainstays were injured or were not available for some personal reasons for this

trip. We had to name some new faces, and after talking with our staff and the KFA, we chose players who

we think can get the job done at their respective positions."

Kim will not have the luxury of time to work those new faces into the program. He will only have the full

squad at ready on Monday, and they will have only two full days of training before taking on Singapore.

"Even though we don't have time on our side, I still think our players have to try to maximize their talent,"

Kim said. "We're in the process of defining roles for each player."

Korea routed Singapore 5-0 in their earlier Group C meeting in November last year. At No. 23 in the FIFA

rankings, Korea should have little trouble getting past 155th-ranked Singapore once again, though Kim

wasn't taking any chances.

Kim coached the Singapore club Lion City Sailors from 2021 to 2022 and won the 2021 Singapore Premier

League championship with 추천 them.

"Southeast Asian football has improved so much lately, and we shouldn't take Singapore lightly," Kim said.

"Their national team now has several players that I coached in Singapore. So I will share my scouting

reports on them with my players now."

Kim was brought in as the second caretaker manager for Korea in three months. For two World Cup

qualifiers in March, then under-23 national team coach Hwang Sun-hong served as the temporary bench

boss.

Kim said he understood fans' concerns over the rudderless state of the national team and added: "We will

have to present our fans with the direction we want to take. And we must do it with our action on the

pitch, rather than with words."

Korea lead Group C with 10 points and need just one more point to secure one of the two tickets up for

grabs in the group to reach the third round.

The Taegeuk Warriors have played at every World Cup since 1986

 

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