Will In-Jae Gyu make the South Korean national team for the March A-Match?
The Korea Football Association (KFA) will announce its roster for the March A-Match on March 11th. South Korea will host the second Asian qualifier for the FIFA Confederations Cup North America 2026. They will face Thailand in a two-game series, first at home on March 21 and then away on March 26.
The South Korean national soccer team has recently undergone a major transformation. After the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, the team parted ways with head coach Jürgen Klinsmann. Klinsmann had been in charge of South Korea since March of last year. He was chosen by the KFA despite being known as one of the best players 안전카지노사이트 in the country during his playing career, but didn’t bring anything special to the table as a coach.

Klinsmann faced controversy during his time at the helm of the national team, most notably for his frequent travels abroad, where he seemed to lose focus on the national team, and for neglecting the K League due to his lack of time in Korea. Nevertheless, Klinsmann remained confident, stating that his goal was to win the Asian Cup.
However, the results were disastrous. South Korea won their first match of the group stage, but their second and third draws exposed their shaky form. With just one win in three games, they finished second in the group and reached the round of 16. They were fortunate to make it to the semifinals after overtime wins over Saudi Arabia and Australia, but were unable to get past Jordan, who they met in the group stage.
As their bid to win their first Asian Cup in 64 years came to an end, criticism of Klinsmann intensified. On the 15th of last month, the Power Strengthening Committee discussed Klinsmann’s evaluation and agreed to dismiss him, and the executive meeting led by Chairman Chung Mong-kyu finally decided to replace the coach.
After Klinsmann’s dismissal, the committee was reorganized to select the next head coach. Initially, it was highly likely that a domestic coach would take over from the March A-Match, but the committee decided that time was running out and reversed course, leaving Hwang Sun-hong as interim coach for the two World Cup qualifiers.
After the reigns of Paulo Bento and Klinsmann, a homegrown coach will take the reins of the national team for the first time. As such, the March A-Match roster is expected to see some changes. Especially in the attacking side, where Hwang Hee-chan is injured, there will likely be a new face on board.
It will also be interesting to see if In Ji-kyu will be included. He is currently the best striker in K League 1 and the pride of the homegrown strikers. He was the top scorer for Jeju United in the 2021 season. It was the first time in five years since 2016 that a Korean striker led the league in scoring. In 2022, he narrowly missed out on the title. He tied Cho Kyu-sung for second place with 17 goals, but finished second due to his higher playing time.
However, In Jong-kyu regained the title last season. After scoring the most goals in the K League 1 for three consecutive years, he was consistently considered as the first choice for the national team. However, both Bento and Klinsmann overlooked him.
Interim head coach Hwang Sun-hong, Michael Kim and Chung Jo-kook were on hand for the official opening match between Ulsan HD and the Pohang Steelers on Jan. 1. Although he didn’t score a goal, Lee Min-gyu still made an impact on offense.
“I’m not expecting too much just because the national team coach has changed. My expectations might have been 0.1% higher than before. But being selected for the national team is something I’ll think about after I maximize my role in the team.”
South Korea, meanwhile, is in the same group as Thailand, China, and Singapore and is currently undefeated in two games. A win in both games against Thailand would effectively clinch first place.
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