The front line of Korea is Kim Minjae at the center of SON Top + Three Bag!→First Taegeuk mark castrope replacement list The U.S. and Hong Myung-bo have begun experiments for the WC finals in earnest

Sep 07, 2025

The front line of Korea is Kim Minjae at the center of SON Top Three Bag!→First Taegeuk mark castrope replacement list The U.S. and Hong Myung-bo have begun experiments for the WC finals in earnest
사진=KFA SNS 캡처



The front line of Korea is Kim Minjae at the center of SON Top Three Bag!→First Taegeuk mark castrope replacement list The U.S. and Hong Myung-bo have begun experiments for the WC finals in earnest
스포츠조선 DB
The front line of Korea is Kim Minjae at the center of SON Top Three Bag!→First Taegeuk mark castrope replacement list The U.S. and Hong Myung-bo have begun experiments for the WC finals in earnest
Photo =Korea Football Association
The front line of Korea is Kim Minjae at the center of SON Top Three Bag!→First Taegeuk mark castrope replacement list The U.S. and Hong Myung-bo have begun experiments for the WC finals in earnest
Photo =Korea Football Association
Hong Myung-bo's challenge to strengthen his competitiveness begins with a full-fledged experiment for the 2026 North-China World Cup.

The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, announced its roster ahead of the first A match against the U.S. national team in September at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, at 6 a.m. on the 7th (Korea time). After finishing the third Asian qualifying round for the North-China World Cup with an unbeaten record (6 wins and 4 draws), it will now begin experimenting and checking for a new stage and a full-fledged World Cup from the A-match in September.

The opponents of the two consecutive games in September are the U.S. and Mexico, who can also compete in the World Cup finals. The region where the game will be played is also the United States, where the North Korea-China World Cup will be held. For Hong Myung-bo, it is an opportunity to adapt to the field and catch two rabbits along with all-out swords. It is also a good opportunity for Hong Myung-bo to face a new opponent outside of the Asian region for the first time in two years. South Korea has entered the World Cup Asian qualifying round since October 2023, and there has been no face-off with a team ahead of its power. The U.S. FIFA ranking is 15th, and although it is not a soccer country, it is not inferior to South Korea in terms of power. It may be the best country for the first time to start rehearsals for the World Cup.




The front line of Korea is Kim Minjae at the center of SON Top Three Bag!→First Taegeuk mark castrope replacement list The U.S. and Hong Myung-bo have begun experiments for the WC finals in earnest
스포츠조선 DB
The factor that received a lot of attention from the convocation to the announcement of the starting list was whether to use the Korean national team's Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich). First of all, Son Heung-min's possibility of using 'striker' attracted great attention. Son Heung-min, who left the English Premier League (EPL) this summer and settled in the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS), is playing as a front-line striker, not a left winger. Coach Hong also took out Son Heung-min's one-top card against the U.S., shaking the existing main striker competition. Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City), the rising rookie of the national team, was selected for the left winger position where Son Heung-min was active. Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) and Oh Se-hoon (Machida), who were dispatched as strikers along with Son Heung-min, are waiting for a call from the replacement list.

For Son Heung-min, the meaning of the match against the U.S. is different, so his determination to play is expected to be stronger. The stage for the first national team match after moving to MLS in the U.S. is the U.S. Attention is bound to be paid more attention to whether or not he will perform. Mauricio Pochettino, the coach who leads the opposing team in the U.S., is his teacher. Since it was a game with an old teacher, a perfect environment was created where he could not retreat further. It is also a good opportunity to determine whether the one-top Son Heung-min card will work at the North Korea-China World Cup in the future.

The front line of Korea is Kim Minjae at the center of SON Top Three Bag!→First Taegeuk mark castrope replacement list The U.S. and Hong Myung-bo have begun experiments for the WC finals in earnest
스포츠조선 DB
Lee Kang-in, the core of Hong Myung-bo's attack, was listed as a substitute. Lee Kang-in has consistently shown great influence in the Korean national team. Outstanding dribbling, passes through a wide field of view and attack deployment added sharpness to the attack. In the second day of training held on the 4th, he was out of the team due to a minor right ankle injury, but he was included in the selection against the U.S. without any major problems, raising expectations for his performance.




Kim Min-jae returned to the national team's starting center back for the first time in 10 months. It is Kim Min-jae, who has been away from the national team since the 5th and 6th rounds of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup in November last year. His team is also having a difficult time falling behind in the main competition. However, along with the recovery of his condition, his skills are comparable to those of his heyday. With Kim Min-jae's return, the central axis has stood tall again in the defense of the Korean national team. In September, several candidates, including Kim Joo-sung (Hiroshima), Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan), and Byun Jun-su (Gwangju), were mentioned as Kim Min-jae's partner candidates. Hong's choice was three-back. He will face the U.S. by building a defensive line with Lee Han-beom and Kim Joo-sung.

The front line of Korea is Kim Minjae at the center of SON Top Three Bag!→First Taegeuk mark castrope replacement list The U.S. and Hong Myung-bo have begun experiments for the WC finals in earnest
스포츠조선 DB
The front line of Korea is Kim Minjae at the center of SON Top Three Bag!→First Taegeuk mark castrope replacement list The U.S. and Hong Myung-bo have begun experiments for the WC finals in earnest
Photo =Korea Football Association
A new wind blew in the midfield as well. While Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) is out due to injury, Hong will use players who have previously been dispatched before Jens Kastrov (Borussia Mönchengladbach), who has been dispatched, to check. Baek Seung-ho and Kim Jin-kyu are in the third term, supporting Lee Dong-kyung and Lee Jae-sung, who are in the second term. Kastroff is on the replacement list looking for an opportunity. Kastrov is the first mixed-race player in Korean soccer history, where his father is German and his mother is Korean. Castrov, who has a strong fighter-like tendency and good defense, plans to experiment in a defensive midfielder position first. Depending on the performance or not, the plan to operate the national team's midfield in the future may change, so it is expected that there will be considerable time as a starter in the upcoming match against Mexico.

Coach Hong will operate a 3-4-2-1 formation against the U.S. Son Heung-min will be on the one-top, while Lee Jae-sung (Mines) and Lee Dong-kyung (Kim Chun) will be on the back of the second line. Defensive midfielders include Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) and Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk). The wingback will be made up of Lee Tae-seok (Austria Bean) and Seol Young-woo (Zvezda), and the three-back will be made up of Kim Joo-sung, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Han-beom. Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) will protect the goal.




For Pochettino's United States, Timothy Weah, Sebastian Berholter, Christian Pulisic, Max Arzton, Trishan Blanman, Tim Lim, Josh Saundt, Diego Luna, Tyler Adams, Cesino Dest and Matt Frieze made the roster.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.