Time is running out, and Hwang Seon-hong (55), the under-24 (U-24) team coach of the Hangzhou Asian Games, is impatient.
Since last January, director Hwang has toured the country and devoted himself to finding gems. The Asian Games have been postponed for a year, but the situation has become more complicated. The Asian Games will be held from September 19th, but the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics qualifiers will be held from the 4th of the same month.
Teams must be divided into under-22 (U-22) and under-24 (U-24) teams. Considering the nature of the competition and the preparation time, it is true that it is very difficult for an Olympic qualifier to directly join the Hangzhou Asian Games.
For coach Hwang, who is scheduled to select players for A-match in June, the sudden three-day training was a scene where he could see how great the lack of time was. Considering the fact that there were no K-League games during the week, he asked for cooperation from the team and succeeded in convincing them.
▲ Coach Hwang Seon-hong called all the players with the best sense in the K-League at this call. Survival is undetermined. ⓒYonhap News
▲ Coach Hwang Seon-hong called all the players with the best sense in the K-League at this call. Survival is undetermined. ⓒYonhap News
▲ Coach Hwang Seon-hong’s inspection of players is wide. ⓒYonhap News
Of course, not everyone liked it. A high-ranking official from Team A said, “It is the beginning of the season and the competition for rankings has not yet intensified, so we asked for the manager’s consent and sent it. Because I don’t know, I understood it in a grand way.”
To that extent, coach Hwang wants to keep the players close to him and observe them. He has an indelible memory 메이저사이트of being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 (U-23) Asian Cup held in Uzbekistan in June of last year.
It was fortunate that it was a tournament that did not qualify for the Olympics. If he had the right to participate, the distrust of coach Hwang, who couldn’t even make it to the semifinals, would have increased.
In the Doha Cup friendly match held in Doha, Qatar last March, he saw some potential by winning all three matches against Oman, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Still, coach Hwang, who had no choice but to be greedy for players, continued to look for players by watching the K-League as well as the college league.
In training held at the Paju National Football Team Training Center (NFC) in Paju on the 16th, coach Hwang stood between the players and shouted, observing and giving instructions with a hawk’s eye. Even while the ball developed from the back through the side to the front, he fiercely trained the players by shouting “Speed”. When he stopped moving for a moment, he was also seen giving instructions like this.
It is not easy to estimate the competition rate for each position. Compared to the last competition, it is a good thing that 2 people increased from 20 to 22 people. Although the options have become a little wider, director Hwang’s concerns remain. The second offensive line is gaining experience as a starting player in their respective teams, and there is also a Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) card. It is a happy worry that even players who have turned 24 years old can be selected with a one-year delay.
The painful concern is the defense. Before the start of the season, those who said they expected to come out of their team began to get a chance. He has to go without injury until September while building up a good sense of the game. If they deviate even slightly, there is a concern that director Hwang’s plans will be disrupted.
The U-20 World Cup is also important. If there is someone who shows good performance, a bold selection is possible. The key is how well central defender Kim Ji-soo (Seongnam FC), born in 2004, does. He is known to be a transfer target for Brentford and is getting more attention. That’s enough to put tension on his older brothers.
He kept quiet about the 10 wild cards, but it’s enough to alert his existing players. Koh Yeong-joon (Pohang Steelers), who was in the second line of offense, showed his composure, saying, “I’m conscious because a wild card can come in my place. But if I go with it, I’ll be a good team, so I’m not too conscious.”
Team training ends on the morning of the 17th. Coach Hwang plans to go abroad as well as the K-League in the future to meet with officials from the teams of major players. He is director Hwang who wants to hold on to the fast-passing four months of time.