For the first time in 17 years, there is no wild card for a forward striker.
On the 14th, coach Hwang Seon-hong announced the list of 22 final entries for the Korean U-24 men’s soccer team to participate in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games at the Soccer Hall.
Coach Hwang invested three wild cards in defense and midfield. Seol Young-woo, Park Jin-seop, and Baek Seung-ho will be selected and will firmly support Lee Kang-in, Jung Woo-young, and Eom Won-sang, who are called the ‘golden second line’.
However, there is no clear ‘goal catcher’. Many players were mentioned, but most of them were in a situation where they had completed their military service. In addition, it was not easy to seek cooperation from foreign teams in the situation ahead of the 2023-24 season, as the Asian Games do not have any obligation to borrow.
In the end, coach Hwang selected players playing in the K-League 2, such as Ahn Jae-jun and Park Jae-yong. Although both players are K-League 2 players, they are both forward-looking strikers. This season, Jae-jun Ahn scored 6 goals (3 assists) in 14 appearances, and Jae-yong Park scored 6 goals (1 assist) in 16 appearances. They are ranked 7th and 8th in the K-League 2, respectively.
Coach Hwang also said, “Ahn Jae-joon is a player I have been watching. He is a player who can play as a striker as well as on the wing. He can take aggressive moves. His scoring ability is also decent. So he was selected. Park Jae-yong’s link play is quite good. He is calm and plays well in front of the gate.”
However, compared to the past Asian Games, the weight is relatively low. Entering the 21st century, Korea has held a total of five Asian Games and recently won gold medals in 2014 and 2018. And Kim Shin-wook and Hwang Ui-jo were chosen as wild cards. In particular, Hwang Ui-jo performed the best by scoring 9 goals in 7 matches. Although he was unable to win a gold medal, Park Chu-young was selected as a wild card in 2010.
Composed of frontline strikers under the age of 23, they participated in the Asian Games in 2002 and 2006. In 2002, there were Lee Dong-guk and Kim Eun-joong, and in 2006, there was no worry because there were Jeong Jo-guk, Kim Dong-hyun, and Park Joo-young. Thanks to this, he was able to strengthen his power by using wild cards in defense and midfield. The choice is the same as now, but the circumstances are different.토토사이트 순위
Direct comparison is difficult. It’s hard to compare from the name value. Therefore, Hwang wanted the forward strikers mentioned as wild card candidates, such as Oh Hyun-kyu and Joo Min-gyu, but could not coordinate. As a result, the frontline attacking team is evaluated as the weakest ever. That’s why it is also true that there are concerns even though they have a ‘golden second line’.
What is even more worrisome is that they failed to advance to the finals in both 2002 and 2006, when they did not select the wild card for the forward striker. He even finished fourth in 2006 with no medals. In many ways, it is difficult to find positive signals.
Nevertheless, Hwang and Korea have already crossed the Rubicon River. The list of players submitted to the Asian Games Organizing Committee this time cannot be replaced unless there is an injury or medical reason. In the end, unless injury is a variable, the current players should run towards the goal of winning three gold medals in a row.