"If you fall, just get up," the 10th-year-old son told Moreno, offering a solution for his comeback in Korean football. [Cheonan Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

When asked about the stagnant atmosphere surrounding the national team, Roberto Moreno (49), the interim coach of the South Korean men's national football team, brought up a conversation he had with his 10-year-old son. It was a simple solution: face reality and stand up again.

On the 14th, at Cheonan Korea Football Park in South Chungcheong Province, a press conference was held to announce the first roster of the national team and for Coach Moreno to take office. During the Q&A session regarding player utilization plans, the 4-4-2 formation, and other tactical matters, a question arose about "the current internal atmosphere of the national team and ways to recover morale." This was a probing question asking how to overcome the sluggish mood of the squad and the backlash from hurt fans following their elimination in the group stage of the 2026 North American World Cup.

Then, Manager Moreno brought up a personal story. He said, "Last week, my 10-year-old son injured his ankle cartilage while playing soccer and has been unable to play for a month. It was a very disappointing and difficult time for the child."

Instead, it was his 10-year-old son who first gathered his resolve. Coach Moreno said, "Since the day my son got hurt, every night before he goes to sleep, he tells me, 'If you fall, just get back up.'" He added, "I also encouraged him by saying, 'That's right. There is no need to think about a month from now; we must focus on the current situation and take one step forward.'"

The modest anecdote revealed by Moreno offers a striking parallel to the current situation facing the South Korean national team. It signifies that rather than being bound by past failures or wounds and resorting to criticism, the priority is for the players gathered now to rise again and take a step forward.

Manager Moreno emphasized that he wants to convey a message to the players of Woo Ri (CEO) team and to Korean football fans who have been waiting, saying that if everyone stands up together and moves forward step by step, they will be able to progress.

Coach Moreno, who hinted at proving his worth through results rather than dissecting past failures by saying "victory is the best solution," has drawn attention to what kind of outcome his warm leadership, beneath his meticulous data analyst persona, will yield in his upcoming debut match.

Manager Moreno's team will face Ecuador at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 24th in their debut match, followed by a game against Uruguay at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 28th. They will then take on Venezuela at the Ulsan Munsu Stadium on October 2 and Uzbekistan at the Yongin Mir Stadium on the 6th.

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*This content was translated by AI.