We're in a war now Coach Hong Myung-bo is less focused on the East Asian Cup, but it's a good opportunity to train directly with players
Jul 03, 2025
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Hong Myung-bo, coach of the South Korean national football team, is preparing for the East Asian Cup with the mindset of entering a full-fledged World Cup system. South Korea's national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, began its first training session to participate in the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship at Seongnam Stadium on the 3rd.
The E-1 Championship, which was first held in 2003, the year after EAFF was established, is a competition held alternately by South Korea, China and Japan. The three countries automatically confirmed their participation, with Hong Kong taking the remaining spot this year. For the men's team, South Korea won the most with five wins, while Japan and China won only two times each. In the previous 2022 tournament, Japan won the top spot. Marking its 10th anniversary in Korea, the competition will be held in Yongin, Suwon, and Hwaseong from July 7 to 16. Coach Hong Myung-bo and the men's A team will play all three games at Yongin Mir Stadium, and will face China at 8 p.m. on the 7th, Hong Kong at 8 p.m. on the 11th, and Japan at 7:24 p.m. on the 15th.
The E-1 Championship is not held during the A-match period designated by FIFA, so it is difficult to play in the European leagues. Only players playing in East Asia can be recruited, and Hong Myung-bo has excluded all players playing in Europe and the Middle East. Three more were added due to EAFF's change in the number of entries from the existing list of 23 people, and the final list of 26 people was confirmed. Twenty-three players appeared at Seongnam Stadium, excluding Oh Se-hoon, Na Sang-ho (hereinafter Machida), and Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima), who are scheduled to join on the 6th.
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Coach Hong Myung-bo said, `It is true that due to the nature of the East Asian Cup, it receives less attention than other games, but as a coach, I think it is a very good opportunity to have an opportunity to train directly with the players. I think I should spend the time well.'
Coach Hong previously checked the Club World Cup in person and inspected the Nubil stage in the World Cup finals. "It was very hot," he said. "I could see a lot of people struggling when the weather was almost 37 degrees Celsius," he said, expressing concerns about the weather. Hong, who has experienced the hot weather in the U.S., will play the East Asian Cup in Korea's heat, which boasts no less weather.
As for the part to be intensively examined during this competition, "It is a task to coach directly and check how good the players are." It seems to me that we have entered the war now", signaling that they have already entered the war for the finals.
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-A call-up speech.
▶ Due to the nature of the East Asian Cup, it is true that it still receives less attention than other games. However, as a coach, I think it's very good to have the opportunity to train the players together. I think it's a good opportunity. I think I need to spend time very well.
-How does it compare to the weather in the United States.
▶I think it's important in the U.S. where we get it. When the place is designated, you have to prepare for the next day. The weather is different in the east, west and central parts. I can't predict which way now. Also, depending on the opponent, the game time is likely to be important. I think I need to prepare well after the draw for the venue of the game, and I'm preparing the rest.
-How do you feel about checking the Club World Cup.
▶It was very hot. One of the matches I watched was between European teams. It was a 12 o'clock game, and the weather was very hot. It's not humid in the west, but it's dry and the weather has risen above 37 degrees, so I could see the players having a hard time
-Is there anything to focus on in this competition.
▶It is a task to guide them directly and check how good the players are. I think we're in war now
-What about the newly selected players.
▶ Since the preliminary round, he has constantly observed and appointed K-League players. Some players have played in important positions for our team. Along with those players, I think I can watch the new players adapt to the team in a short time. When it comes to position competition, it's important how well you follow the orders. In that sense, these players think that the World Cup will be important. I think I will play in the team with high concentration and a good posture.
-Both Lee Tae-seok and Lee Ho-jae, who are about to be interviewed, are representatives of rich countries. What kind of expectation do you have.
▶I think I want to go beyond the reputation of my fathers. I will respect you a lot, but I think you will want to cross that part. Lee Tae-seok is in a good position because he has played consistently for the national team. Lee Ho-jae came in for the first time this time, and I'm curious and looking forward to how much he can overcome because the position competition is fierce.
-What part can Lee Ho-jae contribute to the national team.
▶He is good at target play. Although the score is a little slow these days, I think it will be a great motivation to be selected for the first time in the national team when I have been watching steadily from the beginning of this season.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
