Without Yang Hyun-jun, Hwang Seon-hong and Bae Jun-ho are confirmed to join No more roster changes

The Korean Olympic soccer team (U-23 soccer team), led by coach Hwang Seon-hong, is departing from Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on the morning of the 5th to participate in the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup, which will be held as the final Asian qualifier for the Paris Olympics.

Four overseas players, including Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), are scheduled to join the U23 national soccer team for the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup.

Korea, led by coach Hwang Seon-hong, departed for its base camp in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) via Incheon Airport on the 5th.

The national team will move to Doha, Qatar, the final match site, on the 10th and prepare for the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup, which will be held from the 17th. Korea, belonging to Group B, will play the group stage against UAE on the 17th, China on the 19th, and Japan on the 22nd.

The national team had the unfortunate news that the roster of some players changed on the day of departure. Korea announced a 23-player entry consisting of 18 K-League players and 5 overseas players, but Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), an overseas player, could not join due to opposition from his team, so Hong Si-hoo (Incheon) was selected as a replacement.

As it was not a competition where club teams had an obligation to be selected, there were concerns that additional overseas players would not participate. However, fortunately, Bae Jun-ho, Kim Min-woo (Dusseldorf, Germany), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford, England), and Jeong Sang-bin (Minnesota United, USA), who are from other overseas clubs, were able to join.

An official from the Korea Football Association (KFA) said, “Yang Hyun-jun has been excluded, but there will be no further changes to the squad. “The other four players have been confirmed to join by their teams,” he explained.

An official said, “When we first announced the entry of 23 players, we did not list players’ names blindly. Players who had conversations with each team and had a relationship of interest were selected. However, despite this, Yang Hyun-jun said, “The club sent a letter yesterday, conveying their final position that he cannot be selected.” It is unfortunate that Yang Hyun-jun, who was a good offensive option, was excluded, but it is positive that there are no more absentees. However, the joining date for overseas groups whose convocation has been confirmed is still undecided. An official explained, “Some players will join us at the Dubai base camp, but others may join us directly in Qatar.” Meanwhile, the team showed confidence that they would challenge for the championship without wavering despite the variables of Yang Hyun-jun's exclusion. Coach Hwang Seon-hong said, “As the number of overseas teams has increased in the past 1-2 years, it has been difficult to call up teams, but this is actually a good thing for Korean soccer,” and added, “It is an opportunity to confirm the competitiveness of players who have completed their verification in the K-League.” Regarding Hong Si-hoo, who was selected as a replacement, he said, “We have been training a lot together so far. “He is a competitive player,” he said. Hwang Jae-won (Daegu) also said, “It’s a shame that my roommate Yang Hyeon-jun couldn’t come. But he has a lot of good players to replace him. “If he does as well as he has prepared, there will be no gap (for Yang Hyun-jun),” he said. 스포츠토토맨