“I will go all-in to prepare for the Asian Games.”
Hwang Seon-hong, coach of the under-23 (U-23) soccer team, is busy with two houses. Coach Hwang was entrusted with the heavy task of competing with national teams of different age groups in successive major competitions such as the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, an Asian qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics, as well as the Hangzhou Asian Games in September. The Asian Games were postponed for a year in the aftermath of Corona 19, so even 24-year-old players can play, and considering that the Olympic qualifiers were held a year before the main event, the age limit was 22 years old.
Director Hwang, whom I met on the 15th in an interview commemorating the founding of the Sports Trend, pledged to go to the destination well by walking the complicated and difficult road step by step until next year. First of all, I am focusing all my attention on the Asian Games gold medal right in front of me.
For coach Hwang, the burden of holding the tournament at short intervals was greater than the difficulty of coaching teams of different age groups. During the A-match period in June, the first qualifying round for the Paris Olympics is held, and the Asian Games await three months later.
“I have been preparing for the Olympics separately from before,” he said. “At the moment, the upcoming Asian Games are much more important.” Coach Hwang continued training with the Olympic members when the age of the Asian Games players was not decided. As he shares the tactical content with the talent pool of the national team by age group, he believed that the Olympic team would have no major problems even if they matched up after the Asian Games.
Confidence came from quenching comparable to actual combat. He led both teams on an expedition to Qatar in March. The Olympic team participated in the Doha Cup under-22 (U-22) friendly competition held in Doha, Qatar, and the Asian Games team played two evaluation matches in the form of a winning streak against professional teams in the Middle East. In particular, the Olympic team won the championship without conceding a goal, raising expectations for the Paris Olympics.
Coach Hwang, who announced that he will focus on the Asian Games, must live up to the heightened expectations of the fans. Korea has won two consecutive championships, from the 2014 Incheon Asian Games to the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games. Coach Hwang said, “It’s a lot of pressure, but I’m thinking of sublimating it into good energy.” revealed
In order to continue the good flow of Korean soccer, winning the Asian Games is necessary. The Asian Games are the biggest tournament in Korean men’s football since the World Cup in Qatar last year. Coach Hwang said, “After the World Cup, the K-League is also booming, and the national team needs to play an active role so that the atmosphere can continue well.” Then, he said, “The checks are severe and many difficulties are expected in the process of preparing for the tournament.”
I asked for advice from coach Kim Hak-beom, who led the team to victory in the previous Asian Games. What director Kim emphasized is psychological strength. Coach Hwang said, “There can be a lot of expectations when the game doesn’t go as planned because of impatience, but I think we can get good results by minimizing these things.”
To achieve the goal of winning 3 consecutive championships, a good composition of members is essential. It is expected that the selection of foreign players and selection of wild cards will be the key. Coach Hwang is particularly worried about the resources of the forward striker. Oh Se-hoon, who plays for Japan’s J-League Shimizu S-Pulse, and Oh Hyun-gyu, who moved to Celtic, a prestigious Scottish league team, are attractive cards. However, coach Hwang said, “If we can put such players into our team, the range of operations will widen,” but “It will be difficult for foreign clubs to give one top during the season.”
Coach Hwang also wants to utilize Lee Kang-in (Mallorca), whose stock price is rising as rumors of a transfer to an English Premier League (EPL) team are pouring in every day. However, the adult national team also strongly wants Lee Kang-in, so coordination is needed. Also, even if you call in Lee Kang-in, you have to think about how to use it again. Coach Hwang said, “Lee Kang-in plays as a side midfielder in Mallorca, but if he comes to this team, I would like to put him in the center.”
It’s a shame to have to go to the Asian Games in September. Coach Hwang said, “It is difficult to get selected in September because the K-League is also split into splits.”
Coach Hwang showed his will to do anything if he could retain good players. He said that he was still on the phone with Lee Kang-in and that he also went to Mallorca last year. He said, “Our team is planning like this, and I told Kang-in Lee that it would be nice if we could prepare like this.” Regarding Oh Hyeon-gyu, he said, “It may be difficult to get a 스포츠토토 definite answer, but I will persuade him by talking to him face-to-face.” Oh Hyeon-kyu solved the military service problem while playing for Gimcheon Sangmu, and is growing as a key player of the team through constant substitutions, so difficulties in recruitment are expected.
It is regrettable that the protagonists of the 2019 Polish Under-20 (U-20) World Cup runner-up, which could have been the main pillars of the Asian Games, are slower than expected. Coach Hwang said, “Past glory cannot guarantee the present.” By now, he should have been a mainstay on the U-23 team, and should have been in at least a third of the adult national team,” he said.
The wild card selection has become just as important. Coach Hwang said, “I think wild cards complement our team’s weaknesses.” I will choose the form,” he said.
Coach Hwang said, “There were bitter experiences, such as the defeat of the national team by age group in the Korea-Japan match, but I don’t think it was a failure.” He said, “There were difficulties, but I think it was a process to achieve good results in the Asian Games, and I will go all-in for the Asian Games.” He continued, “I’m ready to throw everything, so I think the players can win if they have that mindset,” he laughed. Director Hwang’s strong will contained in a smile brings great expectations to Korean soccer fans.
