Jun Pro Kim Yun Ho Shin Jun Seo Choi Seo Jun 2025 GROUND. NK League U18&17 Championship, who is notable?
Jul 13, 2025
|
The U-18 Championship, in which 25 teams participate, will play in a total of seven groups and then go through the round of 16 tournaments. The final match will be held at Cheonan Football Center at 7 p.m. on the 24th. Twenty-five teams will also participate in the U-17 Championship, a lower-grade tournament, and will play the final match at Cheonan Football Center at 7 p.m. on the 23rd after a total of seven groups and quarterfinals tournaments.
Introducing the promising players who will heat up this summer ahead of the opening of the '2025 GROUND.NK League U18&17 Championship'.
▶'Rising Cotyledons', semi-professional athletes competing in the championship
The championship, which has produced numerous stars, will feature a large number of semi-professional players. First of all, striker Kim Yoon-ho, who signed his first semi-professional contract with the Gwangju club in his second year of Kumho High School last summer, started against Jeju in the 31st round of the K League 1 in the 2024 season and broke the record of being the youngest player in K League 1 history at the age of 17 years, 4 months, and 17 days. Kim Yoon-ho has been active between professional and youth again this year, and has also contributed to Gwangju's victory in the K League Junior C region. Kim Yoon-ho is expected to perform well in this competition as he has a high RBI header, post play, and strong shooting using his sluggish physique of 1m87-80kg, and combines foot skills such as delicate pass ability.
Shin Joon-seo and Choi Seo-joon, who are promising goalkeepers, will also participate in this tournament side by side. Gyeongnam Shin Joon-seo signed a semi-professional contract with Gyeongnam at the end of last year and made his name known as the youngest semi-professional player in the club's history. Shin Joon-seo's strength is his ability to handle aerial balls and adjust his defensive position using his tall height of 1m87. Shin Joon-seo led his team to the semifinals by giving up only two goals in six games at the Spring Festival held in February this year, and in the K-League Junior's early league, he appeared in a total of eight games and gave up only five goals along with four scoreless games, leading to the minimum number of goals in the C-League.
Seongnam Choi Seo-joon signed a semi-professional contract with Seongnam in May last year and is a goalkeeper with excellent defense and stable game management. Choi Seo-joon contributed to Seongnam's runner-up by giving up only three runs in seven games of the Baegungi tournament held in February this year, and he also played a stable role in the K-League Junior's early league with eight runs in seven games.
▶ Explosive attack! The players who were the top scorers
It is also noteworthy that former top scorer players, who are the vanguard of each team's offense, have performed well. Pohang Noh Geon-hee scored six goals in the K-League junior league this year to become the top scorer in the C-area, followed by seven goals at the Korea Football Association President's Cup held in May. Noh Gun-hee, who is tall and has a sluggish physique, is a front-line striker who shows strength in a one-on-one struggle with defenders, and she also has excellent footwork and shooting skills.
Suwon Kim Dong-yeon was the top scorer in the K-League Junior with 19 goals as a member of Suwon U-15 in 2022, and scored 11 goals in the K-League Junior's early league this year, making him the top scorer in the B-area. Suwon Kim Dong-yeon is a complete player with a wide range of abilities needed by strikers, including active movement, excellent positioning, and excellent goal determination in the offensive camp.
Busan's Lee Ho-jin scored eight goals in the late K-League junior league last year to become the top scorer in the A-area, and this year, he once again became the top scorer by scoring 12 goals in 6 games in the Spring League match in February. Lee Ho-jin also scored six goals in this year's K-League Junior's early league, tying for the top scorer in the C-area with Pohang Noh Geon-hee, but failed to win the top scorer title in the playing time. Lee Ho-jin is considered a striker with various abilities such as shooting, screen play, and header.
In addition, Seoul's Yang Seung-hyun is a striker with excellent individual skills and sophisticated shots and has six goals in the K-League Junior's early league this year, so it is expected that he will perform well in this tournament.
▶'2025 U-17 Asian Cup' Key Players from the National Team
A large number of players who performed well at the 2025 U-17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in April this year will also participate in the championship.
First of all, goalkeeper Park Do-hoon, who played before the Asian Cup, protects Daegu's goal in this tournament. Park Do-hoon has a variety of abilities, including fast reflexes, excellent defense capabilities, and accurate long kicks heading forward.
Ulsan Kim Min-chan is a fullback with a sophisticated left-footed kick enough to play as a set-piece kicker for both the national team and his team. Kim Min-chan also won the Most Valuable Player Award by leading his team to victory as Ulsan captain in the 2023 U-15 Championship.
Incheon Koo Hyun-bin, who was the captain of the Asian Cup, is a multi-resource that can play both central midfielder and center back. Koo Hyun-bin scored two goals with only his head at last year's U-17 Championship with his 1m88 and 81kg physical, and he threatened the opponent's goal with a surprise mid-range shot to lead the team to victory.
Jeonbuk Kim Ye-gun is a technician whose strength is brilliant individual skills and dribbling breakthrough, and is a player who can play anywhere in the second line from side strikers to offensive midfielders. Kim Ye-gun is expected to be a great help to Jeonbuk's offense as he combines accurate passes and sharp shots.
▶Fearless freshman, standout first-year players
The performance of freshmen who stand out from an early age is also noticeable. Daejeon wing forward Kim Ji-ho won the Most Valuable Player Award by leading the team to victory in the 2023 U-14 Championship, and he made his name known by contributing to the team's runner-up finish in last year's U-15 Championship. Kim Ji-ho is a player whose strength is excellent dribbling breakthrough and sharp penetration ability to penetrate the back space of the defensive line, scoring one goal in three games in the K-League Junior's early league and two goals in three games in the later league.
Ahn Sun-hyun of Pohang is an offensive midfielder who has shown explosive attack power this year, scoring three goals in five K-League junior high league games and two goals in three later league games. Ahn Sun-hyun has excellent scoring ability and plays that utilize his teammates in front of the goal.
Despite being a freshman, Lee Chan-min of Suwon FC is a promising prospect who started from the opening game of the K League Junior's electric league this year and scored his debut goal. Offensive midfielder Lee Chan-min had not played for a while due to injury after playing well in the electric league, but recently returned with the opening of the late league. Lee Chan-min continues to flow well with two goals in three games in the late league, and boasts excellent individual skills and goal-making ability.
Incheon Cho Jung-won is a central midfielder who played as Incheon U-15 captain last year, and his strength is his excellent match coordination ability and elaborate passes based on his wide field of view. Cho Jung-won, who played in five late league games before and after his junior in the K-League this season, has scored two goals and continues to perform well.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
