South Korea: Was 'Third Place' Always Part of the Plan? Why Is So Young-woo Being Targeted?

*This content was translated by AI.

It is not over yet. If the primary goal was to reach the Round of 32, it is highly likely that head coach Hong Myung-bo had meticulously calculated a 'third-place scenario' before facing South Africa.

The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo (FIFA ranking 25th), lost 0-1 to South Africa (FIFA ranking 60th) in the third group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Qualifiers Group A, held on the 25th (Korea time) at the stadium in Monterrey, Mexico.

As a result, the South Korean national team was pushed to third place in the group, failing to qualify for the Round of 32 on its own. South Korea could have secured second place in the group with just a draw against South Africa, gaining one point. However, this dangerous assumption of 'just needing a draw' ultimately prevented the players from moving properly.

In fact, South Korea showed a clear good performance in the first match against Czechia and the second match against Mexico. In the Czechia match, the Taegeuk Warriors fought aggressively as if it were their final game, competing fiercely. The result was a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory. Praise poured out for head coach Hong Myung-bo and the players.

Even though the second match against Mexico was extremely difficult, they fought well. In football, winning away from home is not easy unless a team is overwhelmingly superior in skill. You can hear jeers directed at the visiting team every time they gain possession, even through TV broadcasts; the experience on-site is beyond imagination. Moreover, the football fever was immense, especially in Mexico, the host nation. Nevertheless, if not for the mistakes by Kim Seung-gyu and Lee Ki-hyuk, South Korea could have drawn 0-0. While simple comparisons in football may not be entirely accurate, Mexico was a strong team that defeated Czechia 3-0 and South Africa 2-0.

Originally, South Korea entered the tournament targeting South Africa as an easy win. However, on the World Cup stage, South Korea has often struggled against teams they had marked as easy victories. Just recently, Algeria at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, Sweden at the 2018 Russia World Cup, and Ghana at the 2022 Qatar World Cup were such cases. In this tournament, South Africa demonstrated its strength by finishing first in the African qualifiers, overtaking the 'powerhouse' Nigeria (FIFA ranking 24th) to reach the finals.

South Korea conceded the first goal to Tafelo Maseko in the 18th minute of the second half against South Africa, trailing 0-1. If this were a knockout tournament without a group stage, South Korea would have launched an all-out attack by substituting all attackers instead of removing defenders. However, in the 20th minute of the second half, South Korea substituted Kim Min-jae and brought on fellow defender Park Jin-seop. It was hard to view this as an offensive substitution. Furthermore, in the 29th minute, although Cho Gue-sung was brought on, the team did not remove a defender but instead took off Oh Hyun-kyu, the attacker who scored the comeback goal against Czechia.

In addition, after the first goal, the tactics did not follow the so-called 'all-in attack' but showed a focus on defense as well. Even Park Ji-sung, the commentator broadcasting the match on-site, raised his voice, stating, "When the ball goes to the wing, there are only two players penetrating into the box. Since we are losing, there should be three to four players when such crosses come in." However, head coach Hong Myung-bo sought to prevent the situation from leading to another goal by avoiding increasing the number of attackers, which could result in a counter-attack. Essentially, as long as a disaster like conceding another goal did not occur, the possibility of reaching the Round of 32 remained high even with a loss.

The criticism focused on So Young-woo is also a point that needs careful consideration. There is one thing missing in this Hong Myung-bo team: a 'specialized' defensive midfielder. This is a position previously held by Kim Nam-il, Kim Jung-woo, Ki Sung-yueng, and Jung Woo-young in the South Korean national team. Rodri (Manchester City) and the retired Sergio Busquets are well-known as world-class defensive midfielders. When Rodri and Busquets were used simultaneously as center-backs and defensive midfielders for the Spanish national team, the left and right full-backs could attempt bold attacks almost like wingers without worrying about defense.

However, the specialized defensive midfielder has disappeared from the current South Korean national team. Of course, Hwang In-beom and Baek Seung-ho are present. However, they are more suited as attacking midfielders rather than specialized defensive midfielders. Hwang In-beom even penetrated the penalty box against Czechia and scored the equalizing goal. Baek Seung-ho also plays as an attacking midfielder for his club, Birmingham City FC.

In this situation, So Young-woo can be considered a resource already proven on the defensive side. He has been performing brilliantly for his club, FK Crvena Zvezda (Serbia), and is evaluated as one of the best full-backs in the Serbian league. He also fulfilled his role in last season's UEFA Champions League. However, in the Hong Myung-bo team, So Young-woo plays as a wing-back in a three-back system rather than a four-back. Consequently, he penetrates deep into the opponent's territory like a winger, and sometimes, his weak kicking makes him struggle in attack. As a result, he is wearing clothes that do not fit the national team. However, it is clear that in the absence of a specialized defensive midfielder, So Young-woo is filling that gap to some extent. Furthermore, the disappearance of build-up play following the deep involvement of wing-backs in attack is the reason why Lee Kang-in occasionally comes down to the defensive line beyond the half-line.

After the match against South Africa, head coach Hong Myung-bo said regarding the analysis of South Africa's tactics, "We naturally prepared for it. However, we made frequent mistakes in the center compared to what we prepared. As a result, the players lost confidence." He added, "If we had focused more on wing play, we could have controlled the opponent's most dangerous counter-attacks. That part was not as good as in the previous match." If South Korea qualifies for the Round of 32, can it once again demonstrate the strength of South Korean football in a knockout tournament without a group stage?

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*This content was translated by AI.