What inspiration did interim coach Hwang Sun-hong (56), who was busy at the opening match of the K-League, get.
The “Hana Bank K League 1 2024” kicked off with the “East Coast Derby” of the Ulsan HD-Pohang Steelers held at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on the 1st. An average of 15,743 spectators attended six games until Thursday, signaling a green light for the success of this season.
Hwang has been busy at K-League sites since the opening game. He watched the match between Hyundai and Daejeon Hana Citizen at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Sunday and Gwangju FC Seoul at Gwangju Football Stadium on Sunday.
Hwang, who took over the position of former German coach Jurgen Klinsmann, is planning the roster for Thailand in March and the third and fourth matches of the second Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North-China World Cup (Seoul on April 21 and Bangkok on April 26). The roster is scheduled to be announced on April 11, so there is not much time left.
Attention is drawn to coach Hwang’s choice. Among the games he watched, Daejeon Hana midfielder Lee Soon-min (30) showed great performance. Having played his first A-match in his career last year, he was selected for the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup national team and is no stranger to the national team. Since moving to Daejeon Hana this year, he has shown stable performance in both ball and water in his first game, leading to a 1-1 draw.
In the opening match, Suwon FC’s Lee Seung-woo flew wildly. He scored the finishing goal right before the end of the away match against Incheon United at Incheon Football Stadium on Tuesday, raising expectations for his team’s re-election by displaying sharp passes and bold dribbles. Gwangju’s Lee Hee-kyun (26), who scored the finisher in the match against Seoul, also showed off his presence in front of Hwang.
The reason why new faces are likely to be selected for the national team is because it is unclear whether Hwang Hee-chan (28, Wolverhampton) and Lee Kang-in (23, Paris Saint-Germain) will be called up. Hwang Hee-chan suffered a hamstring injury during an away game against Newcastle in the 27th round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) on the 3rd (Korea time). It is unclear whether he will play in two consecutive games with Thailand in March as the recovery period is known to be six weeks. In addition, it is still unknown whether Lee Kang-in, who suffered from internal strife in the national team, will join the match against Thailand. To overcome the shaky national team’s crisis, coach Hwang may find an answer in the K-League.
BY: 스포츠토토핫