Seoul: When head coach Hong Myung-bo unveils the South Korean squad for this year's FIFA World Cup on the weekend, the list will likely feature some in-form young attackers joining seasoned veterans with previous experience at the sport's biggest event.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Hong will announce his squad at a press conference in Seoul at 4 p.m. Saturday, just under a month before the kickoff of the largest World Cup in history, with Mexico, Canada, and the United States set to host the 48-nation battle. South Korea, world No. 25, will play Mexico (ranked 15th), Czechia (41st), and South Africa (60th) in Group A. The team is expected to be dominated by those who ply their trades overseas -- Asia, Europe, and, in the case of longtime captain Son Heung-min, the United States.
Son, now with Los Angeles Football Club, is among some virtual locks for the team that will try to reach the knockout stage. Son, who turns 34 in July, will be in for his fourth and possibly final World Cup. Among outfield players, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae are other national team mainstays who should line up alongside Son.
Two veteran goalkeepers, Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan HD FC) and Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo), are expected to battle for the top job for the third consecutive World Cup. Jo was the first-choice keeper over Kim in 2018 in Russia, but Kim had the honor ahead of Jo in 2022 in Qatar.
Up front, Besiktas forward Oh Hyeon-gyu could be chosen as one of the strikers at age 25. At the 2022 World Cup, Oh was named as a reserve and a possible injury replacement for Son, who ended up playing through a facial fracture. Oh trained with the rest of the national team but never ended up dressing for then head coach Paulo Bento.
Some four years later, Oh has emerged as a goal-scoring threat, one of the precious few players who can finish chances in the dangerous area for South Korea. The 25-year-old previously played for Celtic in Scotland and Genk in Belgium before finding a new home in Turkey with Besiktas this season. He has netted eight goals in 15 matches in all competitions this season. Oh has scored six times in 26 matches for South Korea, four of them coming in his last nine appearances.
"I am looking forward to seeing Oh Hyeon-gyu play. He has done well whenever he was called up for international duty, and he has been a consistent goal scorer for his club," television football analyst Seo Hyung-wook said. "Since the start of his club career, he has always come through in key spots."
Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun, who will turn 24 later this month, is in his third season with the Scottish side and has reached double figures in goals for the first time this season with 10 in all competitions. He doesn't yet have a goal in eight international matches, but he may get a chance to end that drought at the World Cup.
"Yang Hyun-jun will be the one to watch," football analyst Park Chan-ha said. "At the World Cup, his direct style of play and speed can be major assets."
Hong faces a big injury question mark with the key midfielder Hwang In-beom, who was ruled out of his club season with the Dutch outfit Feyenoord after suffering an ankle injury in March. Hwang, who has 71 caps, has been rehabbing with the national team medical staff, hoping to make it back in time for the World Cup. If not for his injury, Hwang would be considered a lock for the World Cup squad, thanks to his ability to reliably create chances and also to help out defenders in his own zone.
In recent matches when Hwang was also sidelined with injuries, Hong rotated players like Kim Jin-gyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors) and Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham City FC). Jens Castrop of Borussia Monchengladbach, a versatile midfielder who plays with a physical edge, is another candidate for the midfield corps. Born in Germany to a Korean mother, Castrop would become the first player of mixed heritage to make a South Korean World Cup squad.
Those who get picked out of the domestic K League and the coaching staff will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday to set up a pre-World Cup training camp. The Korea Football Association (KFA) chose Salt Lake City for its camp to facilitate the team's altitude training ahead of matches in Mexico. South Korea will play two out of their three Group A matches in Guadalajara, some 1,500 meters above sea level.