With Hong Myung-bo playing his first A match in 2025, the need for card management is emphasized.

The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play its home game against Oman at Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi Province at 8 p.m. on the 20th in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup.메이저사이트

In the third qualifying round for the World Cup, 18 countries will compete in three groups of six. The first and second-ranked teams in each group will advance to the finals. The third and fourth-ranked teams in each group will be divided into two groups of three countries, and the fourth-ranked teams will compete in the fourth qualifying round. The top two countries in each group will join the finals, and the second-ranked teams will compete against each other to determine which teams will compete in the intercontinental playoff.

Currently, Korea (14 points) ranks first in the group with four wins and two draws. If the team wins both consecutive games, which will lead to Oman and Jordan, it will secure at least the second place in the group and confirm its advance to the finals regardless of the results of the remaining two games.

While it is important to set the first step to achieve the goal of winning two consecutive games, card management is equally important. If two warnings are accumulated during the third qualifying round, he will not be able to play in the next game.

Among the current squad, Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Cho Yoo-min (Sharja), Seol Young-woo (Zvezda), and Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) each have one warning. If you receive one more warning from the match against Oman, you will not be able to play against Jordan on the 25th.

Coach Hong also selected 28 players, which is more than usual, considering this. At a press conference to announce the A-match list on the 10th, he explained, "Since six players are holding warnings, we have selected more players than ever before to cope with them."

All six players are constantly called by Hong, but card management by Cho Yoo-min and Seol Young-woo, who are defensive resources, is even more important. The 2nd and 3rd teams, where Lee Kang-in, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang In-beom and Park Yong-woo play, have alternative resources such as Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Lee Dong-kyung (Kim Cheon-sang-moo), and Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City). On top of that, there is less burden for change than for defensive resources.

With Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) already out due to injury, if Cho Yu-min accumulates number of warnings, he should play as a new central defense combination in the match against Jordan. Recently, Hong Myung-bo has played as a combination of Kim Min-jae and Cho Yu-min in four consecutive matches. Only Jeong Seung-hyun (Al-Wasl) played one game in the latest squad.

The same applies to the side defense where Seol will stay. Lee Tae-seok (Pohang Steelers, 1 game), Hwang Jae-won (Daegu FC, 3 games), and Park Seung-wook (Kimcheon, 2 games) have significantly less experience in A-match games than Seol Young-woo (Kimcheon, 2 games). Cho Hyun-taek (Kimcheon) is the first A-team player to be selected.

Hong emphasized teamwork in the first A-match held in four months since November 19 last year. "As it is virtually like starting anew, we decided that players who know the soccer that we have played so far would be better when it comes to defense," he said, expressing his trust in the existing players. The best bet is to manage the team's warnings until the match against Jordan and quickly confirm its advance to the finals.

Meanwhile, Korea, ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, is far ahead of Oman, ranked 80th. The team also has an advantage in matches with five wins and one loss. In an away match on Sept. 10, last year, the most recent showdown, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Son Heung-min, and Joo Min-kyu (Daejeon Hana Citizen) scored consecutive goals to secure a 3-1 victory. The only defeat was the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup qualifier, which was dubbed the "Pride Shock" on Oct. 21, 2003, when the team lost 1-3.