[Official Announcement] 'Again' Moreno's team: Player unable to play even one minute, 'early release from national team camp'... Following Cho Gue-sung, Baek Seung-ho also returns to his club

*This content was translated by AI.

Another regrettable early release from camp. Midfielder Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City FC) has ultimately left the national team due to injury concerns. This follows another injury setback after striker Cho Gue-sung (FC Midtjylland).

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced on the 28th, "Following a meeting with the coaching staff and medical team, it was determined that Baek Seung-ho needs recovery rather than participating in the remaining matches." The association added, "For player protection purposes, he will be released from camp today and return to his club."

Previously, on the 27th, striker Cho Gue-sung was released from camp and returned early to his club for player protection purposes, following his absence in the match against Ecuador, based on the judgment of head coach Moreno and the medical team. It appears that during this September international window featuring four matches, the national team is maintaining a policy of not forcing key players with physical issues to play, but instead sending them back.

In addition to Baek Seung-ho's departure, Hwang In-beom (FC Porto), a key figure in the national team's midfield, was also excluded from the lineup for two consecutive matches, including against Uruguay after Ecuador, resulting in significant depletion in central midfield. In the match against Uruguay, Kim Bong-soo (Daejeon Hana Citizen) and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) started as central midfielders, while Park Tae-jun (Kim Cheon (SVP)) came on as a substitute in the second half to fill the gap.

In the second September international match, the South Korea national team led by interim head coach Roberto Moreno suffered a 1-4 defeat in a friendly against Uruguay held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 28th.

Head coach Moreno, who is leading the Hyeon Jae (CEO) team, holds an interim status rather than being the permanent head coach. The basic contract period for Moreno's staff, appointed through a public recruitment process in accordance with the regulations of the Korea Sports and Olympic Committee for the first time in the association's history, runs until November 27 this year. The association entrusted him with the interim helm for six confirmed international matches from September to November, including an extension option allowing him to lead the team until the Asian Cup held in January 2027, subject to evaluation of performance and results in these six matches.

Since whether he will accompany the team to the Asian Cup depends on performance, match results are absolutely crucial for head coach Moreno. However, following a decisive victory in his debut, defensive instability and consecutive injury absences of key players led to a heavy defeat against Uruguay, leaving him with a significant challenge.

With a turnaround in momentum becoming essential, Moreno's team will face the remaining schedule of the September/October international four-match series against Venezuela (Ulsan) on October 2 and Uzbekistan (Yongin) on the 6th.

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*This content was translated by AI.