Seol Young-woo has established himself as a solid right defender.
The Korean national soccer team (FIFA ranking 24), led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, took on Singapore in the first match of Group C of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup (USA-Mexico-copyright) Asia 2nd qualifying round held at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 16th. (No. 155 in FIFA rankings) won 5-0.
Korea used the 4-1-3-2 formation. Son Heung-min and Cho Kyu-sung moved like a top two. Just below him, Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Jae-seong, and Lee Kang-in supported the attack. Hwang In-beom served as the original volanche and served as the link between offense and defense. The defense team consisted of Lee Ki-je, Kim Min-jae, Jeong Seung-hyun, and Seol Young-woo, and the goalkeeper gloves were worn by Kim Seung-gyu.
On this day, Coach Klinsmann also selected Seol Young-woo as the right defender. In the national team, left and right fullback is one of the positions that requires generational change. Kim Jin-soo on the left (other than Hong-cheol and Lee Ki-je) and Kim Tae-hwan on the right (other than Kim Moon-hwan), who played as starting players during the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, were pointed out as positions in need of change as they reached their 30s.
Seol Young-woo, born in 1998, was considered a resource that could inject energy into a fullback resource in need of a generational change. He was already playing a leading role in his team, Ulsan Hyundai, and was evaluated as a resource with offensive power suitable for modern soccer.
The Taegeuk symbol was worn for the first time since Coach Klinsmann took office. Jinsu Kim suffered an injury when he was called up last March and was selected as a replacement. Although he couldn't play at the time, Coach Klinsmann observed Seol Young-woo in person. He was also named to the A match last June. He even made his debut.
He established himself as a starter. Seol Young-woo was trusted by coach Klinsmann to the point where he headed to Hangzhou after playing all two national team games (Wales, Saudi Arabia) ahead of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. He started in two consecutive games in October, and played the full time as a starter before this game against Singapore. This is Seol Young-woo, who has appeared in 6 of the 9 games played since Coach Klinsmann took office.
Seol Young-woo is a 병점출장마사지 resource who can play both the left and right sides. Even at his team Ulsan, he tends to switch between left and right depending on the situation. Coach Klinsmann considers Seol Young-woo as a right-side resource. However, Coach Klinsmann has used Youngwoo Seol defensively differently from his team so far. He used the left wingback high and used it offensively, while Seol Young-woo stayed in the defensive line.
In the first half of the game against Singapore, Seol Young-woo stayed in the defensive line with Kim Min-jae and Jeong Seung-hyeon rather than going up offensively. Korea, which led 1-0 in the first half, pushed further in the second half. At this time, Coach Klinsmann also ordered Seol Young-woo to play an aggressive role. Unlike the first half, Seol Young-woo advanced to a high position and participated in the attack.
As Seol Young-woo ascended, the intensity of pressure on Lee Kang-in decreased. Naturally, an environment was created where Lee Kang-in could play freely. Additionally, the right-side attack became more active due to Seol Young-woo's advance. If you look closely at Son Heung-min's third goal, you can see Seol Young-woo's aggressive movements. When Lee Kang-in caught the ball on the side, Seol Young-woo quickly advanced to a deep position. Seol Young-woo, who received a pass from Lee Kang-in, passed it to Son Heung-min in the center, who scored the team's third goal with a fantastic curling kick.
The fourth scoring process was also created by Seol here Young-woo and Lee Kang-in. Seol Young-woo received a pass in the right half space and sent it to Lee Kang-in. Afterwards, rather than just standing still, he infiltrated the space. Lee Kang-in noticed Seol Young-woo's movements and sent a pass with his back foot, and Seol Young-woo earned a penalty kick (PK). It was a scene where Seol Young-woo's aggressive movements stood out during Hwang Ui-jo's PK scoring process.
Seol Young-woo has already gained experience on the Asian stage by winning a gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Seol Young-woo is expected to take charge of Klinsmann's offense and defense in the upcoming 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup.