Um Won-sang (Ulsan HD), who wore the national flag for the first time in about two years, packed his bags due to injury. Jeonbuk Hyundai ace Song Min-gyu will fill the empty spots.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said on the 15th, "Um Won-sang cannot be called up this time due to injury. Jeonbuk Hyundai's Song Min-gyu has been appointed as a substitute," and announced that the list of calls for the second consecutive Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North-Central America World Cup has been changed against Thailand on the 21st and 26th. 토토사이트

Under interim coach Hwang Sun-hong, the Korean national team will have an A-match in March. The team will have a showdown at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Saturday and move to Bangkok on Saturday for a return match.

Coach Hwang selected Um Won-sang as a second-term resource when he announced the list of the call-up for the match against Thailand on the 11th. Um Won-sang, who has not had a relationship with the national team since the 2022 East Asian Football Confederation (EAFF) E-1 Championship, will wear the national flag again for the first time in about two years.

Hwang and Um Won-sang also played together at last year's Hangzhou Asian Games. At that time, Um Won-sang was Hwang's crown prince and played as a key player in the offense team, and he has good memories of winning a gold medal.

He also performed well in his team's Ulsan. He played in 28 league matches, scoring four goals and giving four assists, helping Ulsan win its first consecutive league title in its history. He is showing light physical activity again this season. In the second leg of the AFC Champions League quarterfinals in the 2023-24 season against Jeonbuk, which Hwang watched, he started the game and played full-time, helping the team win 1-0. This is the Eom Wonsang that showed Hwang's choice was not wrong.

As I wore the national flag for the first time in a long time, I had high expectations. At the time, Um Won-sang said, "I think Hwang must have thought a lot about it. I was also very worried about selecting the national team," adding, "Thank you for calling me back. I will go and prove that the coach's choice was right."

"I talked a lot with the coach at the time of the Asian Games, and I got a lot of feedback. I think he will tell me a lot of good stories again this time. Especially, the coach was a striker, so he helped a lot on the offense. I'm thinking of learning those parts," he said, expressing expectations.

The national team is lined with world-class players in the second line, which is Um Won-sang's main position. There are many players in Europe, including Captain Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Jung Woo-young. Lee Jae-sung and Hong Hyun-seok were also able to play the side, so fierce competition was scheduled.

"I will join the national team in the attitude of learning, rather than trying to survive the competition," Um said. "I will learn more in the national team because there are so many good players that I think I can grow if I learn from them."

However, due to injury, the team put off the opportunity until the next time. Jeonbuk ace Song Min-gyu is replacing Um Won-sang's empty spot. Song was also called to participate in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year and scored a goal to win the gold medal.

Song failed to play in the national team for the last time in a friendly match against Iceland in November, ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He made the final roster but failed to play in the match. After Jurgen Klinsmann took the helm, he did not receive much attention after calling for an A-match in March.

However, he displayed excellent performance in Jeonbuk, his team. He played the role of ace in 30 league matches with seven goals and three assists. He also played in the AFC Champions League this season, displaying good performance after the opening, increasing his chances of joining the national team. Coach Hwang initially failed to select him, but he now has the opportunity due to Um Won-sang's injury. It is highly anticipated that Song Min-gyu, who played 13 A matches, will be able to increase his participation record by one more match.

Meanwhile, the national team will be convened on the 18th to start training in preparation for the match against Thailand at Goyang Stadium.