Hong Myung-bo's team is starting full-scale full-squad gatherings heading to the North American World Cup. With a preliminary camp already underway in Salt Lake City, Utah, the arrival schedules of key Europe-based players have been virtually finalized.
Korea Football Association shared on the 23rd the expected local arrival schedule for the squad, saying "Players will join the national team sequentially after finishing personal schedules. The schedule may change depending on circumstances."
The national team is currently conducting an early assembly training camp in Salt Lake City, Utah. Manager Hong Myung-bo, the coaching staff and some players have already started local acclimatization and high-altitude training.
The largest number of players will join first on the 24th. Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Jo Yu-min (Sharjah), Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna), Seol Young-woo (Red Star Belgrade), Oh Hyun-gyu (Beşiktaş), Cho Kyu-sung, Lee Han-beom (both Midtjylland), Kim Seung-gyu (Tokyo), Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) are scheduled to join the national team that day.
On the 25th, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Park Jin-seop (Zhejiang), and Son Heung-min (LAFC) will arrive locally.
In particular, Son Heung-min's joining is expected to draw considerable local interest.
Son Heung-min recently mentioned his special ties with Mexican fans in an interview with the U.S. newspaper USA Today.
Son Heung-min's connection with Mexico goes back to the 2018 Russia World Cup. At that time, Korea caused a major upset by defeating Germany 2-0, and Son Heung-min scored the late insurance goal in stoppage time. As a result, Mexico, which had been on the brink of elimination from the group, dramatically advanced to the round of 16.
Afterward, Mexican fans hailed Korea as a "brother country" and treated Son Heung-min as a "hero."
The atmosphere continued in the U.S. After Son Heung-min wore the LAFC jersey last year, Mexican-origin fans attended games at home and on the road. The Los Angeles area has a very high proportion of Mexican-origin fans.
In the interview Son Heung-min said, "I truly love Mexican fans and players. I am always grateful to the fans who give tremendous support at BMO Stadium home matches."
However, they become opponents at the World Cup. Korea and Mexico are placed in the same group in this North American World Cup group stage. Korea also remembers losing 1-2 to Mexico at the 2018 Russia World Cup.
Son Heung-min smiled and said, "If we meet as opponents at the World Cup, they will probably hate me again at least for the match day," adding jokingly, "But I fully understand that feeling. That's exactly why we love football."
Meanwhile Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) is scheduled to join on the 27th. The player arriving the latest is Lee Kang-in (PSG). Lee Kang-in plans to join the national team on June 1 after PSG's UEFA Champions League final schedule.
A national team official added, "Individual player flight information is not disclosed."
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