Three-backs unleashed a monster on the field! Kim Min-jae, who returned after 10 months, is the driving force behind the unearned scoreless class against the U.S. (against the U.S.)

Sep 07, 2025

Three-backs unleashed a monster on the field! Kim Min-jae, who returned after 10 months, is the driving force behind the unearned scoreless class against the U.S. (against the U.S.)
Photo =Korea Football Association



Three-backs unleashed a monster on the field! Kim Min-jae, who returned after 10 months, is the driving force behind the unearned scoreless class against the U.S. (against the U.S.)
스포츠조선 DB
The monster is back. He proved his class by performing tremendously with three-back tactics.

The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, won the first A match in September against the U.S. national team 2-0 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, on the 7th (Korea time).

Hong launched a 3-4-2-1 formation against the U.S. Son Heung-min (LA FC) is on the one-top, while Lee Jae-sung (Minutes) and Lee Dong-kyung (Kim Chun) are on the back of the second line. Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) and Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk) were the defensive midfielders. The wingbacks were composed of Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna) and Seol Young-woo (Zvezda), and the three-backs were composed of Kim Joo-sung (Hiroshima), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan). Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) defended the goal.




Pochettino's U.S. faced off 4-2-3-1. Joshua Sandot (Norwich City) will be at the forefront, and Timothy Weah (Marceu), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake) and Christian Pulisic (AC Milan) will be on the second line. Tyler Adams of Bournemouth and Sebastian Berhalter of Vancouver Whitecaps worked together in the midfield, while Tim Lim (Shalott), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Tristan Blackman (VANCOUVER) and Max Arpsten (Columbus Crew) built the defense. The goalkeeper's gloves were worn by Matt Freese of New York City.

Three-backs unleashed a monster on the field! Kim Min-jae, who returned after 10 months, is the driving force behind the unearned scoreless class against the U.S. (against the U.S.)
Photo =Korea Football Association
Kim Min-jae has not been seen in 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. The injury problem has held back. Coach Hong has been overworked to the extent that he himself pointed out Bayern Munich's player management, and his condition was poor and it was difficult to get the national team. Coach Hong said "As you know, Kim Min-jae is a very important player for our team. However, a little disappointing is that Munich should have prevented it to protect players. There have been signals about the risk of injury since before. The national team was fully aware of the risk of injury", he also said.

Kim Min-jae, who missed the A-match in March and June, was only able to join the national team in September when he was at the starting line of preparation for the finals. Coach Hong Myung-bo has already shown solid defensive power by forming a team without Kim Min-jae in the third Asian qualifying round. Kwon Kyung-won and Cho Yoo-min played as the main players. However, the stage for the World Cup finals is different. The fact that Kim Min-jae, the best defense player in the Korean national team in the Bundesliga, took the center stage and played a great role had no choice but to have a profound impact on the overall defense composition. In this September's A-match, Kwon Kyung-won and Cho Yoo-min were excluded from all injuries and set up a defensive list with Kim Min-jae and young players.




He chose a three-back centered on Kim Min-jae. Coach Hong was also preparing for a three-back tactic in preparation for the World Cup finals from the last East Asian Cup. Kim Min-jae is familiar with the national team's four-back tactics, but Kim Min-jae was a resource to play an important role in Hong Myung-bo-ho's three-back because he had already played as a three-back starter in Fenerbahce. Coach Hong pulled out the three-back card again in this game, and Kim Min-jae formed the starting list with Lee Han-beom and Kim Joo-sung.

Three-backs unleashed a monster on the field! Kim Min-jae, who returned after 10 months, is the driving force behind the unearned scoreless class against the U.S. (against the U.S.)
스포츠조선 DB
The Host Appears in the Stadium Kim Min-jae, who returned after 10 months, was also one of the pillars of Hong Myung-bo. Explosive speed and defense sense covering the rear space stood out. In the 9th minute of the first half, he effectively blocked the opponent's counterattack and overcame the crisis. After that, Kim Min-jae collapsed on the ground and embarrassed everyone, but immediately returned to the stadium and continued the game again.

Kim Min-jae, who relieved the burden of defense through three-backs, came to the front and showed strong pressure. In the 27th minute of the first half, Kim Min-jae advanced to the opponent's defense and cut the ball off, creating a counterattack opportunity. It also influenced the midfield and showed that its utilization is increasing further. Even after that, Kim Min-jae effectively blocked the dictionary located on the front line of the opponent and rarely allowed an attack opportunity.




Kim Min-jae's performance continued in the second half. The offensive link between Pulisic and Saundt was blocked near Kim Min-jae. It was not easily penetrated even as the U.S. sought opportunities near the box. In the 36th minute of the second half, he completely blocked Pulisic's shot opportunity in the offensive situation after Balogun's connection, and also blocked Christian Roldan's subsequent shot. At the end of the second half, the U.S. led the attack and threatened several times, but the defense, which united around Kim Min-jae, contributed to the scoreless victory. In the extra time of the second half, Kim Min-jae blocked Balogun's breakthrough and showed his concentration until the end. Kim Min-jae played full-time in the game on the day, and impressive performances were also revealed in statistics, including 94% pass success rate, 3 long passes successful, 3 clearings, 4 interceptions, 1 ball ownership recovery, and 5 ball competition successful matches. The monster, who came back, also showed a clear performance in the national team game for the first time in 10 months.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.