Joo Min-kyu is proud of coach Kim Do-hoon, "I didn't know he would score and even give 3 assists"
Joo Min-kyu is proud of coach Kim Do-hoon, "I didn't know he would score and even give 3 assists"
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He had 3 assists, but I didn't know (that fact). (Joo Min-kyu) not only has scoring ability, but he also has a point that fits
well with team play, and I felt really good when I saw that part."
Coach Kim Do-hoon of the national soccer team, who led the team to a great victory in the fifth match of Group C of the
second round of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup qualifiers against Singapore as the 'temporary
commander', could not hide his pride in the performance of his 'old student' Joo Min-kyu (Ulsan).
Coach Kim met with reporters immediately after arriving at Incheon International Airport on the 7th and said, "I expected
Joo Min-kyu to score in yesterday's game. Before that, I had already talked with Joo Min-kyu about his role as a striker."
The national team led by coach Kim defeated Singapore by a huge score of 7-0.
While Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), the core members of the national team's
offense, exploded with multiple goals, starting striker Joo Min-kyu also swept up 1 goal and 3 assists.
While Korean soccer has yet to find a proper leader, Coach Kim, who will only be in charge during the international match
period in June, led professional soccer team K League 1 Ulsan HD from 2017 to 2020. In 2019, he directly coached Joo
Min-kyu.
Coach Kim, who reunited with Joo Min-kyu on the national team for the first time in five years, encouraged him, saying, "
(In the match against Singapore) I thought he would have more opportunities if he waited at the front instead of coming
down too much. Looking back at the scoring scene, he scored with a header. I thought it was something to be
congratulated on."
Joo Min-kyu, who broke the record for the oldest A-match debut in Korean football history at the age of 33 years and 343
days in the 3rd match of Group C against Thailand on March 21st of this year, scored a debut goal and 4 offensive points,
signaling a fierce competition at the front with Jo Kyu-sung (Midtjylland) and others.
Coach Kim, who played as a striker during his active years, praised him, saying, "The national team is a place where
players come and prove themselves. I think they did their jobs faithfully," and "They were given an opportunity because
they quickly adapted to the 안전 team."
Coach Kim also applauded rookie Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), who scored a goal in his A-match debut, and Jung Woo-young
(Kalliez), who stepped onto the field wearing the national team uniform for the first time in a long time.
He said, "After training with Jun-ho Bae this time, I thought he has great potential. He is a player I look forward to in the
future," and added, "You may think he didn't show his full potential yesterday, but I think he showed his characteristics."
He added, "I think the part where he keeps moving and plays without letting go of the ball is a signal to the fans that 'a new
type of player has appeared.' I'm really looking forward to it."
Regarding veteran midfielder Jung Woo-young, who was frequently used by former coach Paulo Bento and experienced
the Qatar World Cup, he praised him, saying, "There's no need to say anything else. He's a player who has already been
proven through the World Cup."
He continued, "With Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan) out, Kwon Kyung-won (Suwon FC) and
Jo Yu-min (Sharjah), who had not been able to play in (national team) matches, have stepped up. I decided that the player
who would be able to lead the team while playing alongside these center backs was Jung Woo-young."
Coach Kim emphasized that the key to the great victory against Singapore was 'positioning'. He analyzed that the team was
able to dominate the game from start to finish because each player took the appropriate position in their respective areas.
Coach Kim said, "Positioning, balance, and line breaking are our three keywords, and the first one, positioning, was done
well. Thanks to that, we were able to show a game where we dominated until the end."
He emphasized, "(In the match against China) I will pay more attention to positioning. For now, we need to focus on
'winning matches'."
He added that he believes his mission as interim head coach is to transplant football that adheres to these core principles
into the national team.
Coach Kim said, "They say Korean football is in crisis. However, I think we should use this crisis as an opportunity," and "I
think the football we should play is the direction that Korean football should go, and I think I have a role to play (in that
regard). I will focus more on 'our game' (rather than the opponent's game)."