'A Life-First World Cup' Lee Dong-gyeong: "Will Show K-League Competitiveness... I'm Confident" [Departure Scene for World Cup]

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Dong-gyeong (29, Ulsan HD), who dramatically secured his spot in the final World Cup squad based on his outstanding performances in K League 1, has finally departed for his first-ever World Cup finals.

The first squad of the South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, departed on the afternoon of the 18th from Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 for the pre-camp site in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Lee Dong-gyeong's final selection was the result of breaking through fierce competition. Lee failed to make the national team's friendly match squads in March and April consecutively, having to swallow his disappointment. However, he did not become discouraged and instead delivered outstanding performances, appearing in 13 league matches for his club this season, scoring 5 goals and providing 3 assists.

After demonstrating performances that perfectly matched coach Hong Myung-bo's repeatedly emphasized selection principle of "best performance as of May," he was included in the most important final World Cup roster.

Lee Dong-gyeong, who made the final World Cup roster for the first time in his life, smiled and said, "It has been a dream I've had since I first tied my soccer cleats. I want to prepare well so that I can bring joy to the people when I go to the World Cup," and added, "I think I slept well after the final roster announcement was made."

Earlier, at the roster announcement press conference, coach Hong Myung-bo highly evaluated Lee's tactical value, stating, "Lee Dong-gyeong is a different type of player who can receive the ball in the line, and he is a resource that fits well with the national team."

In response, Lee Dong-gyeong conveyed, "I have personal confidence in my ability to shoot and finish well in the attacking area."

Having made his first A-national team appearance since October last year and succeeding in qualifying for the World Cup, Lee Dong-gyeong explained the improvements he made before returning to his Oh Raen-man-e (CEO) team, saying, "The coach and the team wanted to improve defensive capabilities. I also wanted to develop that part, so I focused heavily on defense."

Regarding the point that he is the only domestic player in the second line of the Lee Beon (CEO) team, he showed a sense of responsibility, stating, "The K-League is also competitive. I think we must prepare well to show that we are not falling behind."

It is also reported that there was support from Ulsan players. Lee Dong-gyeong conveyed, "There are players like Kim Young-gwon and Jeong Seung-hyun at Ulsan who have experienced the World Cup. They gave me many good stories on how to handle things when I go there."

On this day, 12 players from the first call-up roster appeared at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2, boarding flights to Salt Lake City. Centered around Lee Dong-gyeong were domestic players and key K-League resources who were selected for the final roster, including Bae Jun-ho, Eom Ji-sung, Baek Seung-ho, Kim Jin-gyu, Lee Gi-hyeok, Kim Moon-hwan, Cho Hyun-woo, and Song Beom-geun.

In addition, Yoon Gi-wook, Jo Wi-je, and Kang Sang-yoon, who served as partners to assist the national team's tactical training during the call-up training period and as reserve resources, also joined the departure. The remaining overseas players, who are still fulfilling their club schedules, are expected to join the pre-camp site in the United States directly via charter flights and individual flights to complete the full squad.

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*This content was translated by AI.