There will be several aces.” Kim Eun-jung, coach of the under-20 (U-20) soccer team, met with reporters in Ulsan on the 14th and said this.
The U-20 national team led by coach Kim will participate in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-20 Asian Cup held in Uzbekistan on the 1st of next month. It also serves as a qualifier for the U-20 World Cup to be held in Indonesia in May this year. In this competition, you have to advance to the semi-finals (four-finals) or higher to advance to the World Cup finals.
Coach Kim has convened the team several times over the past year and conducted training focused on actual combat. He quenched not only domestically, but also in Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Spain and Portugal. In September of last year, he even went to Mongolia for the Asian Cup qualifiers.스포츠토토
The Asian Cup is, in fact, the first tournament in which the best teams gather. K-leagues such as Kang Seong-jin (FC Seoul) and Kim Ji-su (Seongnam FC), who did not participate in last year’s preliminary round, joined the team. Except for Lee Hyun-joo of Bayern Munich, all the players Kim wanted to call were called.
If so, who is Kim Eun-joong’s ace who is piled up in a veil? At the World Cup four years ago, a superstar named Lee Kang-in led the team and even achieved runner-up. At this age, the role of an ace is just as important. Coach Kim said, “There is no player who can be called an ace yet, but he will come when the tournament starts. It can be not one or two people, but several people,” foreshadowing the “group ace” system.
The most noteworthy player is Kim Yong-hak (Portimonense), a European player. Kim Yong-hak, who has been steadily getting opportunities to play in Portugal, continues to grow by playing in the game. Although he is 168cm tall and small, he has good speed and excellent technique, dribbling and aggressive passing. Director Kim’s assessment is that the physical, which he was concerned about, is also stronger than expected.
Kang Seong-jin, who has already been to the A national team, is also a resource that can play the role of an ace. Kang Seong-jin, who already made his professional debut in 2021, has accumulated so much experience that he has played in 48 K-League 1 games for two years. It is expected that he will add destructive power to Kim Eun-joong’s attack by possessing brilliant breakthroughs and accurate kicks in addition to his rarity of being left-footed.
Bae Jun-ho of Daejeon Hana Citizen is also a promising player. Bae Jun-ho is a player who has been called a special talent since high school and has received attention from multiple K-League 1 clubs. His basic skills are considered to be at the highest level in his age group, and his flashy play when he catches the ball is his strength. His awareness may be lacking compared to other players, but the common opinion among football officials is that his potential is great. He is a typical ace style, so he is a player who is expected to play a role when the tournament starts.