Участник:"Rival"

Joo Min-gyu (34) of the Ulsan HD is ready to play after hitting his head. He is going to make his debut as the oldest A-match player in Korean soccer history.

Joo Min-kyu is waiting for the third leg of Group C of the second Asian qualifying round for the "2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup" against Thailand at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 21st.

Attention is focusing on whether Joo Min-kyu, who set the record for selecting the oldest national team player at the age of 333 days, will make his A-match debut. If he participates on this day, he will set the record for the oldest A-match debut in Korean soccer history in 70 years. The current record in this category is that the late Han Chang-hwa made his first A-match appearance at the age of 32 years and 168 days at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland.

It took too long for Joo Min-gyu to wear the national flag. After the first selection of the A team, Joo Min-gyu said, "I'm happy, but I've been hurt a lot." In fact, Joo Min-gyu, the best striker in the K-League, was named the top scorer in the K-League in 2021 and 2023. In 2022, he also scored the most goals (17 goals) in the league, but Cho Kyu-sung, who had little time to play, became the top scorer. He was selected as the best 11 strikers in the K-League 1 for three consecutive seasons, and won the title of the best striker in the K-League, but he was rarely selected for the national team. Only Paulo Bento and Jurgen Klins, former coaches, thoroughly turned a blind eye to Joo Min-gyu.

Still, as a soccer player, his ultimate goal was to mark the national team's taegeuk mark. "I have experienced a lot of 'realistic hits' so far. I wondered how I could make the national team roster more in the K-League. While motivating myself, I was also disappointed (when I failed to make the national team roster). That's why I lost a lot of confidence," he said.

Hwang Sun-hong did not turn a blind eye to the best striker in the K-League. He chose Joo Min-gyu without hesitation. After announcing the national team's roster on last Friday, he was asked the first question that picked Joo. Then, Hwang Seong-hon said, "Only Joo Min-gyu has scored more than 50 goals in the last three seasons. We need no further explanation."

Hwang Ui-jo, who had been one-top player for the Korean national team until recently, has been mired in controversy due to allegations of illegal filming, and has yet to be selected for his team Alagnaspor. Oh Hyun-gyu, who had consistently been selected for the national team under the Klinsman system, was also excluded from the list as his playing time decreased. Against this backdrop, coach Hwang Sun-hong's alternative was Joo Min-gyu. "But I still didn't give up and did it until the end, and it paid off. I feel proud of myself for not giving up," Joo said.

Now, Joo has only to prove. Only two of the team's front-line strikers are Joo and Cho. Hwang Sun-hong, the coach of the national team, is likely to start Cho Gyu-seong, who has a lot of experience in the national team, and use Joo as a substitute.

However, Joo's surprise selection could be possible. Cho has recorded 10 goals in the Danish Super Liga this season, but his momentum has not been strong recently. After going to the Asian Cup, he missed the penalty kick twice in the second half and scored two goals only in PK without a field goal. Hwang Sun-hong will also likely agonize over this issue. Given that the opponent team is inferior to his opponent team in objective performance, he expects to put Joo at the top in terms of mood reform.

Thailand will likely counterattack Korea after mobilizing its players' defense capabilities. "I will focus on defense against strong teams like Korea," Thai coach Isiah Masitada told a news conference before the match. "My goal is to focus on defense and earn at least one point by preparing well for the tactics I am currently preparing," he said. "I believe my goal is to earn at least one point in the match against Korea. Of course, the best scenario is to earn three points." It is also possible to take a shot at Ju Min-gyu at a time when Cho is in poor condition. 메이저사이트

He is most desperate than anyone else to play in A-match games. He is committed to playing like the youngest even though he is the oldest player in the team. "All I can do is think of him as the youngest member of the national team and play really, hard and earnestly," he said.

Meanwhile, the Korean team will play a home game at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the day before moving to Thailand on Tuesday. It will then play its fourth away game at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Korea beat Singapore (5-0 win) and China (3-0 win) in Group C in the second qualifying round for the North and Central American World Cup, and will lead the group with two wins. If Korea wins both consecutive games against Thailand, it will effectively confirm its advance to the final qualifying round. The opponent team Thailand ranks second in the group with one win and one loss (three points).