Incheon's Kim Keon-hee, Gimcheon's Park Tae-jun, Rangers' Kim Min-su Receive First National Team Call-ups

Team Moreno, the South Korean national football team, has added a large number of K League players, including midfielder Jung Seung-won and goalkeeper Gu Sung-yun, who are key figures for K League 1 leaders FC Seoul.

Head coach Robert Moreno (Spain) held a press conference today (the 14th) at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, announcing a 30-player national team roster for four friendly matches during the September-October A-match period.

Key overseas-based players such as Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid), Son Heung-min (LAFC), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke 04) were included in the roster as expected.

Considering that four matches will be played, a large squad of 30 players was formed, leading to "surprise call-ups" for players who have shown good performances in K League 1, such as Kim Keon-hee (Incheon), Park Tae-jun (Gimcheon), Kim Bong-su (Daejeon), and full-back Kim Tae-hyun (Jeonbuk).

From Seoul, which is running in a dominant first place in K League 1, Jung Seung-won and Gu Sung-yun have made the list.

Both are players who have not had deep ties with the national team.

Three players, including Kim Keon-hee, Park Tae-jun, and midfielder Kim Min-su who plays for Scottish side Rangers, have been selected for the national team for the first time in their lives.

The national team will face Ecuador at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 24th, and take on Uruguay at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 28th.

They will then face Venezuela at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on October 2, and meet Uzbekistan at the Yongin Mireu Stadium on the 6th.

This is the stage for South Korean football to make a "fresh start" after suffering a bitter failure at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

Amid a strong backlash, including police investigations into former Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu and former national team head coach Hong Myung-bo following the World Cup, the image of South Korean football has hit rock bottom.

Coach Moreno will initially lead a total of six matches, including these four matches plus two more to be held in November.

However, there is a possibility that his contract could be extended, and depending on his results, he could eye the permanent managerial position afterward.

◇ September-October A-Match National Football Team Roster (30 Players)

▲ GK= Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan), Kim Seung-gyu (Tokyo), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk), Gu Sung-yun (Seoul)

▲ DF= Seol Young-woo (Augsburg), Choi Jun (Seoul), Kim Tae-hyun (Jeonbuk), Lee Han-beom (Club Brugge), Cho Wi-je (Jeonbuk), Kim Keon-hee (Incheon), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima Antlers), Cho Hyun-taek (Ulsan), Lee Tae-seok (Austria Wien)

▲ MF= Park Jin-seop (Zhejiang), Kim Bong-su (Daejeon), Hwang In-beom (Porto), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Park Tae-jun (Gimcheon), Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham), Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid), Jung Seung-won (Seoul), Kim Min-su (Rangers), Song Min-kyu (Nacional), Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke 04)

▲ FW= Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Dong-gyeong (Ulsan), Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas), Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland), Oh Se-hun (Shimizu)

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.