 |
| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
|
 |
| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
|
 |
| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
|
Son Heung-min (LAFC) devastated the United States, which is 'Bang'. Mauricio Pochettino, who leads the United States, is a teacher for ever, but has no mercy.
Hong Myung-bo got off to a good start in the first warm-up match of 'post-Asia'. South Korea won 2-0 with consecutive goals by Son Heung-min and Lee Dong-kyung (Kim Chun) in a friendly match against the U.S. at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey on the 7th (Korea time). He left Tottenham last month and moved to the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS). It was the first A match since moving to LA FC. Son Heung-min completed a multi-attack point (one goal and one assist) by assisting Lee Dong-kyung with an additional goal.
In July last year, the era of director Hong Myung-bo has re-opened for the first time in 10 years. He has not been able to leave Asia due to the World Cup qualifying round. Only now that he has made it to the World Cup finals for the 11th time in a row has the path to 'post-Asian' opened.
Coach Hong put up a performance of 16 or higher at the 2026 North-China World Cup. The U.S., the host country, is ranked 15th in the FIFA rankings, eight places above South Korea, which is ranked 23rd. He made his step lighter by winning against the U.S. "Now it's a very important game going into the World Cup system. Results are important, but we have to experiment with which players will be competitive next June. It's a good partner to deal with. I'll do my best to prepare." Coach Hong's smile also spread around his mouth.
 |
| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
|
The era of 'nails' has rekindled. Hong operated the 3-4-3 system. With Son Heung-min on the one-top, Lee Dong-kyung and Lee Jae-sung (Mines) were located on the side. Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) and Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk) were the defensive midfielders, while Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna) and Seol Young-woo (Zvezda) played left and right wingbacks. The three-back consisted of Kim Joo-sung (Hiroshima), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan). Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) defended the goal.
Son's main position was the left winger in the Hong Myung-bo team. In the World Cup finals, a decisive shot is needed in the end. No other resource has the ability to make decisions like Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min has been used as a 'one-top' by LA FC all the time. It was expected to test Son Heung-min 'Striker', and it bore fruit from the first half.
Son Heung-min showed off his perfect match with Lee Jae-sung, who was born in 1992. Lee Jae-sung caught the flow by getting a foul in the second minute of the first half.
In the 18th minute of the first half, he was praised as "as expected". He received a through pass from the left side of the penalty area where Lee Jae-sung broke down the back space of the defense. The angle was narrow, but he scored with a sensational left-footed shot. It is the first time in 10 months that Son Heung-min has scored a goal in the A-match since the match against Palestine (1-1 draw) in November 2024.
Lee Dong-kyung was given an opportunity while Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) was excluded from the starting lineup due to a minor ankle injury. He scored his first shot in the 15th minute of the first half and reopened the goal in the 43rd minute of the first half. Son Heung-min, who received Kim Jin-kyu's pass, created an opportunity with a one-two pass with Lee Jae-sung. Lee Dong-kyung, who received Son Heung-min's pass, shook the net with a picturesque 'back foot'. It was a fantastic goal scene that couldn't have been better.
 |
| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
|
The first three-back was also on the stage after the European leagues joined. Kim Min-jae's return was a thousand troops. He has disappeared from the A national team since November last year. The call-up of the A match in June following March was also failed due to the controversy over injuries such as sore throat and back pain as well as Achilles tendon inflammation. After 10 months, he wore the national flag and went back on the ground. He silenced the U.S. defense penetrating the back with fast speed. In the eighth minute of the first half, he complained of ankle pain, but fortunately, it was not a major injury.
In the second half, it was a series of variables. Hong Myung-bo-ho's 'Hidden Engine' Lee Jae-sung collapsed in the third minute of the second half complaining of pain in his right hamstring (back muscle of his thigh). In the end, he was replaced by Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City).
Son Heung-min seemed to have a one-on-one chance in the 6th minute of the second half, but the opposing goalkeeper cleared the ball first. Experiments continued. Coach Hong took out three replacement cards in the 18th minute of the second half. Instead of Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) and Jens Kastrov (Mönchengladbach) were put in.
Castrov, whose father is German and mother is Korean, is the first mixed-race national team born abroad in the history of Korean soccer. He made his A-match debut against the U.S. Castrov, a defensive midfielder, stands out for his fighting spirit and grit that does not spare his body. They fight the opponent roughly in the midfield without fear. In the match against the U.S., active and aggressive play was also noticeable.
After the replacement, the U.S. continued its fierce offensive. Fortunately, he didn't allow a run. In the 38th minute of the second half, Hong dispatched Jung Sang-bin (St. Louis City) and Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima) without Seol Young-woo and Kim Joo-sung. The goal didn't go any further. There was no loss due to Cho Hyun-woo's save in extra time in the second half.
Hong Myung-bo moves to Nashville, Tennessee. South Korea will play its second warm-up match against Mexico in the U.S. at 10 a.m. on the 10th at GODIS Park.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
