U-21 Football Team Preparing for LA Olympics to Play Two Friendly Matches Against Mexico in November

The South Korean under-21 (U-21) men's national football team, preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, will play two friendly matches against Mexico at home in November.

The Korea Football Association announced that the U-21 national team, led by head coach Kim Eun-jung, will play friendly matches against the Mexican U-21 national team on November 14 and 17 in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.

The first match will be held behind closed doors at 4:00 PM on November 14 at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan, while the second match, open to fans, will take place at 7:00 PM on November 17 at the Cheonan Stadium.

Utilizing the FIFA international match break, this two-match series will also mark the team's first actual matches in front of domestic fans since head coach Kim took office last May.

Coach Kim's squad will assemble at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan on November 9 to begin intensive training.

This marks the fourth gathering following the initial domestic training camp in June, a college player camp in August, and an away trip to Australia last September (one win and one draw).

The roster of players for this friendly series is scheduled to be announced on November 2.

Their opponent, Mexico, is a traditional powerhouse in North and Central American football, boasting formidable strength at the youth level with achievements such as winning the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

For the South Korean national team, this is also a "revenge match" to wash away the disappointment from the Tokyo Olympics.

South Korea suffered a heavy defeat to Mexico and was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, and head coach Kim guarded the national team bench as a coach at that time.

Meanwhile, tickets for the second match on the 17th can be purchased at the on-site ticket booth of the Cheonan Stadium starting at 3:00 PM on the day of the match without online reservation, and all seats in the east and west stands will be sold as unreserved seating for 10,000 won.
(Photo courtesy of Korea Football Association, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.