Hong Myung-bo, the national team coach, faced a challenging situation ahead of the upcoming A-match friendly games in November. The Korea Football Association revealed that two key midfielders, Lee Dong-kyung and Baek Seung-ho, would not be included in the call-up list due to injuries. This news came as a blow to the team’s preparation for the matches against Bolivia and Ghana.
Lee Dong-kyung sustained an injury to his right rib during a K League 1 match against Suwon FC on the 9th. Meanwhile, Baek Seung-ho suffered a left shoulder injury in an England Championship game against Middlesbrough on the same day. The association made the decision to exclude them, as they believed it would be difficult for either player to recover in time for the upcoming fixtures.
This development means that the national team will now have to face the challenge of losing three of its main midfielders before the two consecutive A-match friendly matches. Hwang In-beom, who was already injured with a left thigh issue, is expected to be out for six to eight weeks. His absence further complicates the team’s plans.
Despite these setbacks, Hong Myung-bo has selected Bae Joon-ho and Seo Min-woo as replacements for Lee Dong-kyung and Baek Seung-ho, respectively. The national team will now play both games with a squad of 26 players.
The team members arrived at the newly constructed Korea Football Center between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on the 10th. Captain Son Heung-min expressed his excitement about being at the Cheonan training center for the first time. Defender Jo Yu-min humorously remarked, “Every room has a veranda and it’s like a European hotel.”
Soccer A National Team’s November Call-Up List (26)
Goalkeepers (3)
- Cho Hyun-woo (34, Ulsan)
- Kim Seung-gyu (35, Tokyo)
- Song Beom-geun (28, Jeonbuk)
Defenders (9)
- Kim Min-jae (29, Bayern Munich)
- Cho Yoo-min (29, Sharjah)
- Lee Han-beom (23, Mit Willan)
- Park Jin-seop (30, Jeonbuk)
- Kim Tae-hyun (25, Kashima)
- Lee Myung-jae (32)
- Kim Moon-hwan (30, Daejeon)
- Seol Young-woo (27, Zvezda)
- Lee Tae-seok (23, Austria Vienna)
Midfielders (12)
- Lee Kang-in (24, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Lee Jae-sung (33, Mainz)
- Jens Castrov (22, Mönchengladbach)
- Kim Jin-gyu (28, Jeonbuk)
- Um Ji-sung (23, Swansea City)
- Kong Won-jae (28, Korpacan)
- Hwang Hee-chan (29, Wolverhampton)
- Yang Min-hyuk (19, Portsmouth)
- Kwon Hyuk-kyu (24, Nantes)
- Bae Jun-ho (22, Stoke City)
- Seo Min-woo (27, Gangwon)
Forwards (3)
- Son Heung-min (33, LA FC)
- Cho Kyu-sung (27, Mit Willan)
- Oh Hyun-kyu (24, Genk)