One step at a time in the heat wave..."Team spirit" will determine the outcome of the Iraq war
One step at a time in the heat wave..."Team spirit" will determine the outcome of the Iraq war
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Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the Korean national soccer team, unusually mentioned the players' stance when he announced the list of 26 players to play in two consecutive games against Iraq and Kuwait in June.
"I can't force patriotism like before, but a national player should have a different mindset. I should have a sense of duty," he said. "I felt this for a year after I became a member of the national team. Some players are desperate for the national team, while others are not." His remarks were made with determination.
"We are people who play team sports. If individual talents are put first above all else, will it help our team? I don't think so," Hong said firmly. He had strong conviction about Team Spirit and One Team, which he always emphasizes. The message came from the head coach only a year before the opening of the World Cup in North Korea, China, and the U.S., which drew much attention, and the stage is set to see how the players would have accepted it.
Team Hong Myung-bo will play its ninth Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. against Iraq at 3:15 a.m. on Tuesday (Korea time). After the match, the team will conclude its preliminary round with the final match against Kuwait that will take place in Korea on June 10.
Leading Group B with four wins and four draws (16 points), Hong can build his fortune to advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time by himself if he adds one more point in the remaining two matches. A draw against Iraq would end the game. Since the team has never lost in this preliminary match, it has high expectations. However, we cannot remain optimistic.
Iraq (12 points), which is ranked third after Jordan (13 points), is also highly motivated. If the team catches Korea at home, it can increase its chances of advancing to the finals directly. To boost that hope, the team took the helm of new coach Graham Arnold in May, and the match against Korea is Arnold's debut match.
Hong has to play with players who are enthusiastic to do it again while receiving unilateral support from Iraqi fans. Former coach Casas had experience in Iraq (3-2 win) in October last year and plenty of video footage with other teams, but Arnold's first time in Iraq is also agonizing. Another concern is that the environment is not good.
According to the Korea Football Association, the weather in Iraq is scorching heat with the maximum temperature reaching 45 degrees Celsius. The local national team starts training from 9 p.m. to avoid the heat as much as possible. Seol Young-woo, the national team's main fullback, said, "As soon as I got off at the airport, the hot and humid energy suddenly came up," adding, "All of the national team players have played in the Middle East, but it is always difficult."
Especially now, it is more worrisome because the regular season of the European leagues, the mainstay of the national team, has just ended. His physical strength and condition have fallen, and even Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan are not in good physical condition. It is not an easy task to deal with Iraq, which is already burning in a heat wave when he is already heavy. What I need at this time is "an altruistic play" and "a team spirit" where I take one step further.
Basically, in soccer, if someone plays less, someone has to play more. It is the same when attacking by exchanging balls, and when cooperating to block the opponent. If the striker is distracted in front of the striker, the defenders behind him suffer, and if the opponent's defense is concentrated, there is no place to give him or her, he or she sweats because there is no one to give him or her.
Even a person who ran well cannot keep running. When it is hot, he or she gets tired faster. Eventually, if we do not consider each other, the balance will collapse. If the team is against a opponent with a large gap in power or if the team's energy is good, the team could end up losing ground, but the match against Iraq is not under such conditions. 토토사이트
The Iraq match will likely be a match against the U.S. in which players will be able to confirm how much the coach's message that "we are team sports players" is engraved. When facing a stronger team than ours in North, Central and South America, we should unite as a team. Hong Myung-bo should also pay attention to this matter over the next year.