‘Pohang Bokpoong’ Ko Young-jun, 22, shares his thoughts on being named in the final roster for the Asian Games and his resolve ahead of the Games.
The U24 Asian Games team, coached by Hwang Sun-hong, will hold a national training camp at the Paju National Training Centre from 25-27 July.바카라사이트
The Hangzhou Asian Games will kick off in September. South Korea will be looking to win its third consecutive title, following Incheon in 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang in 2018. Winning the gold medal will give the team a special exemption from military service. It’s a big stage for Korean football and its players.
For starters, only 14 of the final 21 players will be called up. On the 21st, the Korea Football Association said, “It is a call-up excluding the starters of the Coupang Play Series Team K League and overseas players.”
Atletico Madrid, which is visiting Korea as an invitee of Coupang Play, will play a friendly match against Team K League at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 27th.
Team K League players Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Seol Young-woo (Ulsan Hyundai) and Hwang Jae-won (Daegu FC), as well as overseas players Park Kyu-hyun (Dynamo Dresden), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart) and Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Gent), will not be part of the call-up. As it is not an A-match period, the national team cannot call up overseas players even if they want to.
[OSEN=Jo Eun-jung] Ko Young-joon, Olympic Team. 26.09.2022 /cej@osen.co.kr
Pohang Steelers midfielder Ko Young-jun, who has been a regular on the Hwang Sun-hong, is part of the final roster for the Asian Games. He has been consistently trusted. He has played 11 games for Hwangseon Hongho so far. He will be travelling to Hangzhou with the team after the final roster was announced on the 14th.
Along with fellow contenders Baek Seung-ho, Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Jung Woo-young, Lee Kang-in, Uhm Won-sang (Ulsan Hyundai), and Hong Hyun-seok, Ko is heading to the Asian Games with no injury concerns.
Ko was diagnosed with a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his knee after his right knee was hit by a Chinese player in an exhibition match against Hwang Sun-hong Ho’s China on the 19th of last month. He focused solely on his recovery for about 20 days and made his comeback against Ulsan Hyundai on the 8th.
After the 2023 K League 1 Round 24 match against Jeonbuk on the 21st (Pohang 2-1), Ko said, “I wanted to be on the Asian Games roster, it’s an honour for me personally,” and added, “Even though there was a bad incident, I want to overcome it as a team and do well. The manager, coach and players are communicating a lot. We haven’t done anything yet (with all the players on the final roster), so I don’t know the atmosphere. But I think everyone is in the right frame of mind. The team atmosphere will be fine.” Initially, defender Lee Sang-min (Seongnam FC) was included in the squad, but he was recently removed from the roster after a drink-driving offence was revealed. The team’s atmosphere was once again shaken.
“He’s a nice guy off the pitch, and he’s charismatic on the pitch. He communicates well with the players, and you just know he’s a good person when you see him.”
[Photo] Ko Young-joon / KFA.
When asked about the competition for the second team, he said, “My strengths are my penetration and activity in the second line,” but he also said, “The team is already made. We need to work together as a team rather than compete,” he said.
“Even before the roster came out, I knew there were many good players. They have a lot to learn and different strengths. I think coach Hwang Sun-hong will take that into consideration and find a combination.”
He predicted that the friendly against China, which had a lot to say and a lot to lose, would be a positive. “Honestly, when I was injured, the Chinese players didn’t do it out of malice. I think it’s unavoidable. I think it will help me a lot to go to China and adapt to the environment and play against Chinese players.”
The men’s football matches at the Hangzhou Asian Games will be played in eight stadiums across six cities. One of them is Jinhua Stadium, which hosted the last exhibition match against China.
“Pohang coach Kim Ki-dong always advises me to be confident,” said Ko, who vowed to play his best without hesitation.