Lee Min Sung Ho, come on! Bae Joon-ho's ace mode announces the starting list for the match against Australia, selecting a large number of K Leaguers

Jun 05, 2025

Lee Min-sung announced his departure.

South Korea's under-22 (U-22) national soccer team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, will play a friendly match against Australia at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 5th. It is the debut of director Lee Min-sung, who was appointed last month.

Lee Min-sung raises the anchor. Lee was appointed as the head coach of the U-22 national team, which had been vacant since Hwang Sun-hong on the 27th. Coach Lee Min-sung, a former member of the national team, immediately stepped down as a leader after retiring from his career in 2010. Starting with Yongin City Hall's playing coach, he gained various experiences in Guangzhou Hengda, Gangwon FC, and Ulsan Hyundai.

Coach Lee Min-sung already knows the flow of the national team by age. He was appointed as the head coach of the South Korean U-23 national team in 2018 and contributed to the gold medal at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship. Director Lee Min-sung, who has extensive experience, began his career as a coach in December 2020 with the baton of Daejeon Hana Citizen. He has the experience of promoting Daejeon to K League 1 in 2022. It is a fresh start as coach of the U-22 national team.

Director Lee Min-sung's shoulders are heavy. He should try to win four consecutive games at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya next September, and secure a berth to the Olympics to play at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, South Korea suffered from failing to advance to the Olympics for the first time in 40 years. Director Lee Min-sung would not want the same scenario.

Ahead of his debut match, coach Lee Min-sung put the most importance on the combination of players. It is important how much potential the players bring out and combine their strengths. When I briefly introduce my soccer, I value balance, teamwork, and speed. In it, he envisions playing a dynamic football in offense and defense, which leads to a rapid transition between offense and defense,' he said, revealing what kind of soccer he will transplant to players.

It is also important for the U-22 national team players to play more leading football and play with the best combination with a fast, brave, and leading concept. The most important part is the quick pressure and transition,' he added.

Coach Lee Min-sung, who put pressure and conversion as keywords, chose Moon Hyun-ho, Choi Seok-hyun, Choi Woo-jin, Hwang Do-yoon, Lee Seung-won, Jung Jae-sang, Bae Jun-ho, Chae Hyun-woo, Lee Hyun-yong, Park Chang-woo and Yoon Jae-seok on the debut roster. Cho Jin-ho and Kim Yong-hak, who had high expectations for European leagues, are waiting for their sorties on the bench

Ace Bae Jun-ho's role is expected to be important. Bae Joon-ho is a gemstone found when director Lee Min-sung was in charge of the match. Bae Joon-ho grew quickly under the guidance of head coach Lee Min-sung, and moved to Stoke City and knocked on the door of Europe. Bae Jun-ho, the future of Korean soccer, who has already been called up to the national team, will serve as Lee Min-sung's ace in June.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.