Not many people expected South Korea’s U-20 soccer team, led by head coach Kim Eun-joong, to reach the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Four years ago in Poland, the team was labeled the “Valley Generation” for not having a single star player like Lee Kang-in (Mallorca).
However, they succeeded in changing the perception from pessimistic to favorable. The team did not have a single star, but two.
Lee Seung-won (Gangwon FC), the team’s captain, emerged as a star of the tournament. Wearing the No. 8 shirt, he played in both the group stage and the quarterfinals and served as the team’s moral support. In the quarterfinal against Italy, he scored from the penalty spot, bringing his tournament tally to six points (two goals and four assists). This is the same number of attacking points that Lee Kang-in, who is hailed by Korean soccer fans as the “future of Korean soccer,” recorded in Poland. With a third-place match against Israel still to come, there’s still time for Lee to surpass his record. In particular, all four of his assists came from set-piece situations, making 먹튀검증 him an instant “dead-ball specialist” at the tournament.
Lee has yet to make his K League debut for Gangwon’s B team. But he’s been on Kim’s radar since his days at Dankook University and has been consistently picked for the national team, and now he’s even been named captain. His leadership is recognized by his teammates, as he doesn’t take the initiative, but quietly supports them.
