The Hangzhou Asian Games soccer team, led by coach Hwang Seon-hong (55), completed convocation training for three days from the 15th to the 17th at the Paju NFC (National Team Training Center). First of all, 27 key players from the K-League team, including Yang Hyeon-jun (21, Gangwon), Um Won-sang (24, Ulsan), Um Ji-seong (21, Gwangju), and Ko Young-jun (22, Pohang), gathered. These are not all. Lee Kang-in (22, Mallorca) and Oh Hyeon-gyu (22, Celtic), whose stock prices are on the rise these days, as well as Jung Woo-young (24, Freiburg) and Hong Hyeon-seok (24, Ghent) can join. The Asian Games soccer was originally based on 23 years old or younger, but the tournament was postponed for 1 year due to Corona, and the age of participation was also adjusted to 24 years old or younger. Eom Won-sang said, “It is unfamiliar to me that I am a senior, but I will do my best. We are a team with a lot of really good players.”
The goal of the Korean national team is, of course, 3 consecutive victories. Korea, which won gold medals in 2014 (Incheon) and 2018 (Jakarta/Palembang), is determined to rise to the top again at the Hangzhou Games in September. No country in Asia has ever won three consecutive soccer titles. Taiwan, Myanmar (Burma), and Iran have achieved two consecutive victories.
The burden may lie within. For South Korea, if the foreign faction joins the domestic faction, the destructive power becomes stronger. There is even a hasty prospect that winning the championship is natural with the strongest power in history. However, the problem is that there is not enough time to breathe with each other. The K-League is in full swing, and the European leagues start in the summer. The national team is scheduled to hold two overseas evaluation matches during the A match in June, but coach Hwang is not at ease. That’s why this time we have a short but tactical 3-day training session.
There is a good chance that overseas players will persuade their team to participate. All of them need special military service benefits after winning a gold medal in order to continue their careers abroad. Son Heung-min (31, gold at the 2018 Asian Games), already a senior in the national team, took such a path and continued his heyday. Coach Hwang said, “Lee Kang-in is doing well, and I will make him play where he likes.” Koh Young-jun said, “There are many really good players in the second line of the team.” I will make good use of my strengths, such as speed,” he said.
Chun Seong-hun (23, Incheon) stands out among the frontline resources, but others are said to be somewhat less weighty. From Hwang’s point of view, there are too many second-line resources and few strikers, so it’s a worry. Korea’s main competitors include Japan and Uzbekistan. Japan is the winning team of the 2010 (Guangzhou) tournament,메이저놀이터 and Uzbekistan’s national team by age group is emerging as a strong player beyond an ambush.