Kim Young-kwon filled the vacancy 'Monster's New Partner' Cho Yoo-min, with a stable performance 'pass point'
Oct 11, 2024
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The national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, won 2-0 in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Jordan at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan's capital, at 11 p.m. on the 10th (Korea time). South Korea avenged its 0-2 defeat in the semifinals of the last Asian Cup. With the victory, he continued his three undefeated matches in the third qualifying round and jumped to the top of the group with seven points. Hong Myung-bo, who completely crossed the Jordanian expedition, which was the biggest watershed in this preliminary round, predicted future cruises. In the third qualifying round, the first and second-place teams in the group will go straight to the finals, and the third and fourth-place teams will advance to the fourth qualifying round.
South Korea started with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Joo Min-kyu (Ulsan) stood at the forefront, and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Jae-sung and Lee Kang-in (PSG) set up the second line. Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) and Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) were in the third term, while Lee Myung-jae (Ulsan), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Cho Yoo-min (Sharja) and Seol Young-woo (Zvezda) formed a four-back. Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) defended the goal.
There were two points in the game on this day. It was the departure of Son Heung-min and Kim Young-kwon. Son Heung-min was dropped from the national team due to a hamstring injury, and Kim Young-kwon was excluded from the list for schedule reasons. Son Heung-min was listed on the national team's list despite his injury, but coach Hong Myung-bo eventually decided to exclude him from the A-match in order to protect the players. Kim Young-kwon was not included in the national team's roster due to fatigue caused by the trip to the Middle East. Coach Hong said, `I think Kim Young-kwon did well in the national team for a long time. Maintaining performance is important, but I think it is much more efficient for players from the Middle East (playing for the team) to play away games because of fatigue", he explained.
It is the first time since the September 2012 match against Uzbekistan that Son Heung-min and Kim Young-kwon cannot play for the national team at the same time in an official A match that allows them to play in the European leagues. It's been 12 years. Son Heung-min and Kim Young-kwon are the center of the offense and defense of Korean soccer, which does not need to be explained. The two players, side by side with the national flag for the first time in 2010, have played three World Cups (2014, 2018, 2022) and three Asian Cups (2015, 2019, 2023). Son Heung-min played 129 A matches and Kim Young-kwon played 112 games, leading the front and back of Korean soccer. Son Heung-min is still the captain and ace of the national team, and Kim Young-kwon is still a competitive top defender, although he has realized the weight of recent years.
Coach Hong put Hwang Hee-chan in Son Heung-min's place and Cho Yoo-min in Kim Young-kwon's place. There is no disagreement over the core of Hong Myung-bo's defense. It's Kim Min-jae. Coach Hong is showing deep trust enough to give Kim Min-jae the captain's position, which has been vacant due to Son Heung-min's departure. With Kim Min-jae as the center defender for Hong Myung-bo, Kim Young-kwon in the match against Palestine and Jung Seung-hyun (Alwaseul) in the match against Oman. No one was satisfied. As breathing is important, the defense must find Kim Min-jae's partner quickly to build a more stable defense.
Cho Yu-min was stable in the match against Jordan. Although the opponent's attack was less than expected, he played without difficulty. He was not behind in the one-on-one fight with his opponent, and he showed good performance in the build-up. In particular, he showed good chemistry with Kim Min-jae, raising the possibility of being used in the future.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
