'First pick' GK Kim Dong-heon → Team goalkeeper 'competitive structure'... "It's an honor to be selected as the A team that I've dreamed of."
'First pick' GK Kim Dong-heon → Team goalkeeper 'competitive structure'... "It's an honor to be selected as the A team that I've dreamed of."
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Kim Dong-heon (28), who has established himself as the main goalkeeper of Gimcheon Sangmu this season, is expected to bring a fresh wind to the competition for the goalkeeper of the Korean national soccer team.
Coach Hong Myung-bo announced on Tuesday the list of 28 call-ups for the second consecutive round of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea, China and the U.S. that will take place in March at the Korea Football Center in central Seoul. Kim Dong-hun was invited to join the national team for the first time.
South Korea will hold Game 7 of the third qualifying round against Oman at Goyang Stadium on the 20th and Game 8 against Jordan at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 25th.
Korea, which is in Group B, is leading the group with four wins and two draws, and 14 points. Iraq ranks second with 11 points, and Jordan is third with nine points.
Tickets will be given to the second place in each group of the third qualifying round.
If South Korea wins both consecutive games in March, it will confirm its advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time regardless of the results of its showdown with Iraq and Kuwait in June.
Korea ranks 23rd in the FIFA rankings. Oman is 80th and Jordan 64th. Analysts say that Korea is ahead in objective strength, and chances are high that it will win as the two consecutive matches will be held at home.
Earlier, South Korea met the two teams first on the road, beating Oman 3-1 and Jordan 2-0.
Two new faces are visible on the list. They are defender Cho Hyun-taek and goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon. Both players belong to Gimcheon Sangmu.
In particular, with the main goalkeeper Cho Hyun-taek (Ulsan HD) wearing a face mask after briefly leaving last month due to a nasal bone injury, the opportunity to play can go back faster than expected to goalkeeper Cho Hyun-taek, who was born in 1997, who was newly on board.
Kim Dong-heon, who used to play for Incheon United, has been fulfilling his military duty as a member of Gimcheon starting in 2024. Although he was not the starting goalie, he seems to have established himself as the starting goalie amid trust from coach Chung Jung-yong this season. He has played in all four games since the opening of the 2025 season.
"I watched Kim Dong-heon play in three games since the opening of the season. He was not considered as a target last year, but he showed the most stable performance in the early stages of this season and made a lot of good saves," Hong said.
He also mentioned the reason for calling in Cho and Lee Chang-geun (Daejeon Hana Citizen) who were also selected together. "Cho Hyun-woo has recovered from injury and has recently participated in matches. We constantly communicated with each other to check his condition, and the principles for Cho remained unchanged. I also said that I have no problem with my condition, and I had no problem (playing) in my team as well. I included Lee Chang-geun as he is currently playing as a key player in Daejeon (leading in the league)." 메이저사이트
Kim Dong-heon, who will wear the national team uniform for the first time, said, "I am happy and honored to be selected as the A team that I have always dreamed of. I think I was able to improve because I played with good players in a good team called Gimcheon Sangmu. I also think I was selected because of the fans' support. I am grateful."