From Korea to the U.K. to China…everyone’s September hell.
Seol Young-woo faces a grueling schedule in September.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) on Sept. 28 released the men’s national team roster for the September A matches. The squad will face Wales on Sept. 8 at 3:45 a.m. at Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, and Saudi Arabia on Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m. at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, England.
Leading up to the call-up, much attention has been paid to the “traffic clearance” of the Asian Games squad and the A team, which will compete at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September. With Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) the most high-profile player to be dropped from the A squad due to injury, only a handful of players will be traveling with the A squad. Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Hent) and Seol Young-woo (Ulsan Hyundai) will join Klinsmann for now, while Song Min-kyu, Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart) and Park Kyu-hyun (Dynamo Dresden) will go straight to the Asian Games call-up.
Among them, Seol Young-woo had a hectic schedule in September with a lot of traveling. After playing against Gwangju FC in the 29th round of the K League 1 on September 3, he will depart for Wales on September 4. After that, he will travel to China to participate in the Asian Games.
At the Asian Games, the team will have to play matches every three to four days, starting with the first match against Kuwait on September 19. As a wild card, the team will play a lot of games, and if they make it to the finals, the schedule will continue through October 7. If she is selected to the A team for the October A match, she will have to head straight to the A team after the Asian Games.
The schedule could get even tougher. “If there are no special circumstances such as injuries, conditions or performances of other players after the Wales game, we will work with the two players (Hong Hyun-seok and Seol Young-woo) to ensure that they can join the Asian Games squad as soon as possible,” coach Jürgen Klinsmann said in a press release announcing the roster. If the decision to join the Asian Games team early is finalized, Seol Young-woo will have to travel back and forth between East Asia and Europe in about a week. If he travels with the Japanese Asian Games team, which is training in South Korea, he will travel from Wales to South Korea and then to China.
It’s essential to take care of your body. Seol Young-woo, who is also a key player for Ulsan, is third on the team in league appearances this season, and first in starts and minutes among field players other than goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo. After the Asian Games, Ulsan will still have to juggle K League 1 and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. 스포츠토토
After being away from the Taeguk Mark since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Seol Young-woo has been busy again this year during the A-Match. He first broke into the A squad as a substitute in March and made his debut in June, quickly establishing himself as a key part of the new generation of fullbacks. When Klinsmann announced his September call-up, he explained his decision to bring Seol back to Europe ahead of the Asian Games, calling him “essential for the Wales game”.
He was also named to the Asian Games roster in July. Despite being outside the age limit for the tournament, Hwang was selected as a wild card by Asian Games head coach Hwang Sun-hong, along with Park Jin-seop and Baek Seung-ho.