Hong Myung-bo's team faces another variable → Training schedule 'suddenly changed', the reason is "It actually rained heavily here yesterday evening..." [Report from Guadalajara]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Hong Myung-bo squad is quickly adapting to the unpredictable climate changes in Guadalajara, Mexico, the site of the decisive matches, and is reorganizing its preparation system for the tournament. The national team has abruptly shifted its originally planned afternoon training schedule to the morning to counter the weather variable.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo met with reporters at the FIFA community training session held at the Chivas Valle Verde base camp training ground in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the afternoon of the 6th (local time), and explained the countermeasures against weather variables.

On the second day after arriving in Guadalajara, Head coach Hong Myung-bo said regarding the local weather conditions, "At the pre-camp in Salt Lake City, we focused on balancing rest and training while prioritizing adaptation to the high altitude and jet lag." He added, "Even after arriving here in Guadalajara, we have been continuously monitoring the local weather conditions. The forecast shows rain every afternoon. It actually rained heavily here yesterday evening," indicating that they are closely watching the local weather.

Accordingly, Head coach Hong Myung-bo warned of flexible changes to the training schedule. He stated, "We will communicate closely with the players to check their conditions and then flexibly decide whether to conduct training in the morning or afternoon as part of the daily schedule." He added, "For now, we plan to conduct training in the morning tomorrow (the 7th) and devote the afternoon to treatment and recovery."

Guadalajara, the venue for the first and second group stage matches of the South Korean national football team led by Head coach Hong Myung-bo, is currently entering the peak rainy season in June. While Mexico is often immediately associated with stifling heat that makes it hard to breathe, the actual weather experienced on the ground is completely different from this stereotype. The capricious climate, where the weather changes 180 degrees between day and night, has emerged as the biggest adversary.

In fact, Guadalajara remains cool even when the daytime high temperature soars to around 30 degrees, as the humidity is not as high as expected. Contrary to perception, the weather is not as hot as expected, so, embarrassingly, this reporter packed a suitcase full of short-sleeved T-shirts, only to regret it as the climate becomes sharply chilly after sunset, forcing them to wear their few long-sleeved shirts again.

For the Ma Chin (CEO) team, which underwent harsh high-altitude adaptation in Salt Lake City, USA, the daytime heat itself is not a major problem. The real issue is the sudden drop in temperature and the accompanying showers that arrive after sunset. Even on the first day of arrival in Mexico, the 5th, the sky was clear all afternoon but suddenly turned into a heavy downpour around 8 p.m., pouring fierce showers for about an hour, leading to unpredictable weather.

Such sudden weather changes can directly lead to injuries among the squad. If players sweat while conducting afternoon training and are suddenly caught in a squall, the large temperature difference, which drops to around 17 degrees as the sun sets, causes players' body temperatures to plummet rapidly and their muscles to stiffen, sharply increasing the risk of injury.

At the same time, the Hong Myung-bo squad faces the challenge of preparing for the possibility of a waterlogged match on the day of the game. According to weather forecasts, a strong thunderstorm is expected starting at 6 p.m. on the 11th, when the fateful group stage match 1 is held, and the probability of precipitation approaches 50% even after the kickoff time of 8 p.m. If heavy rain pours in a short time and the grass becomes slippery, passing errors or mistakes during set-piece situations could become decisive variables that determine the outcome of the match.

Fortunately, the good news is that South Korea has had ample time to adapt to the local climate compared to competing nations. The Hong Myung-bo squad arrived in Guadalajara early, giving them sufficient time to cope with the capricious weather conditions. On the other hand, their first opponent, Czechia, is scheduled to move from their base camp in Dallas, USA, to here just three days before the tournament opens, meaning they must deal with a much tighter schedule than South Korea in terms of jet lag and high-altitude adaptation, as well as responding to the variable of sudden heavy rain unique to Guadalajara.

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*This content was translated by AI.