Fresh off its first win in six games, Klinsmannhoe is now in the midst of a two-game A-match trial in October. With the addition of four gold medalists from the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, there is a positive vibe in the squad, and the coaching staff has been expanded with the addition of a new staff member who spent time in the German Bundesliga.
Led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann (GER), the South Korean national soccer team convened at the Paju National Training Center (NFC) at 2 p.m. on Sept. 9 to begin training for the October A match trials. Of the 24-man squad, 18 joined the team early, while the remaining six will join by the 10th due to club commitments.
While captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who usually joins late due to his team’s schedule, joined early after returning home the day before, the most talked-about member of the Hangzhou Asian Games gold medal team was undoubtedly the first to arrive. Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Gent), and Seol Young-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), who were part of the Hwangsun Hongho, flew home the day before and headed straight to Paju NFC to prepare for the October A match. In particular, Jung Woo-young, who scored eight goals and held the title of top scorer, was shown the gold medal during the induction process.
Hong Hyun-seok (left) and Oh Hyun-gyu during national team training at Paju NFC on Sept. 9. Photo: Korea Football Association
Goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo in training with the national soccer team. Photo: Korea Football Association
In addition, players who play in the K League and the Middle East were all called up as normal, and Oh Hyun-gyu (Celtic), who was initially scheduled to join the team later that day, also joined early. Eighteen of the 24 players participated in the 4 p.m. training session. Hwang Eui-jo (Norwich City) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) will be called up later in the day, while Cho Kyu-sung (Mittwilan), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) and Hwang In-beom (Tsubena Zvezda) will be called up the following day.
With most of the players coming in fresh from their respective clubs, training on the first day was light with a focus on recovery. Players like Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz 05), who traveled to Korea from Europe or the Middle East, needed to recover from the long distance. The K-Ligers were also focused on recovery as they had played their regular rounds the day before.
With head coach Andreas Herzog absent from the training due to his mother’s deteriorating health, the team also had a new coach on the field. Niklas Alves, a longtime trainer at Augsburg in the German Bundesliga, is the newest addition to the medical squad. An official from the Korea Football Association (KFA) said, “He is a top-class trainer who has worked in Germany for a long time. The Klinsmannhoe coaching staff is getting bigger and bigger. We may add more coaches in the future.”
Niklas Alves is the new compulsory trainer. Photo: Korea Football Association
Son Heung-min performs recovery training at the national soccer team training center in Paju NFC on Sept. 9. Photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association
Klinsmann’s men will continue to train at the Paju NFC until Dec. 12 before facing Tunisia in an exhibition match at 8 p.m. on Dec. 13 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Klinsmannhoe, which earned its first win in its first six games against Saudi Arabia last month, will look to make it two wins in a row. The team will then face Vietnam in its second exhibition match at 8 p.m. on Sunday at Suwon World Cup Stadium. It will be the first time in 31 years that Korea has played a Southeast Asian team in Korea.카지노사이트
“There will be fatigue and jet lag,” said Klinsmann, “but the national team is always special and the highest honor a player can receive. At the end of the day, they want to put on a good show for the country and the fans on the field,” Klinsmann said, adding, “We’re not going to rotate or leave out (key players).”
After winning gold at the Asian Games, each of the athletes on board the Klinsmann vowed to compete for a spot on the A team. “The Asian Games have an age limit, but the A team doesn’t, so it’s a little harder to compete,” said Seol. I have to overcome this and win a starting spot in the national team to become a better player. I want to show everything I have and establish myself as a starter.” Hong Hyun-seok also said, “I’ve never been satisfied with myself while playing for the A team. This time, I want to play a game that I can be satisfied with, and I want to score my debut goal for the A team as soon as possible.”
Korea National Football Team head coach Jürgen Klinsmann answers questions from the media during the media conference for the October A squad call-up at the Paju National Training Center (NFC) on Monday. Photo: Korea Football Association
Korea national soccer team October friendly match roster (24 players)
- Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-kyu (Al-Shabab), Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Jun-hong (Gimcheon Sangmu)
- Defenders: Kim Young-kwon, Jung Seung-hyun, Kim Tae-hwan, Seol Young-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung), Kim Joo-sung (FC Seoul)
- Midfielders: Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Park Yong-woo (Al Ain), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Hent), Hwang In-beom (FK Tsubena Zvezda), Jung Woo-young (VfB Stuttgart), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Sun-min (Gwangju FC), Moon Sun-min (Jeonbuk Hyundai)
- Forwards: Oh Hyun-gyu (Celtic), Cho Kyu-sung (Mitwillan), Hwang Eui-jo (Norwich City FC)
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