I am indescribably happy that my favorite student won the gold medal and gained wings in his future career, but from the perspective of his team’s head coach, even if the power loss is severe, he cannot laugh as if he is too much.
Striker Cho Young-wook (Kim Cheon), who scored the winning goal in the final against Japan, is about to be discharged early as he received military service benefits based on the gold medal as soon as he was promoted to corporal this month. Cho Young-wook, who will return to the team on the 13th after a short vacation, will coordinate the discharge date through consultation with the ROKAF Sports Unit. There are still problems to be solved with the unit due to the problem that Cho Young-wook did not receive basic military training when he joined the army last year. 안전놀이터
Cho Young-wook has scored 11 goals in 15 games since Chung took the helm of Gimcheon in June, raising a team that was outside the playoff qualification to the championship. As of the 11th, Gimcheon is in second place with 61 points in the K League 2, behind Busan (63 points). Coach Chung should fight for direct promotion rights given to the winning team without Cho Young-wook from the 36th round away match against Ansan as early as the 22nd. “I don’t know if (Cho) Young-wook will be willing to play,” said coach Jung, who joked, “As a responsible player, I will do my best. It’s the first time in the unit, so it seems like it takes time to make a decision. I’m waiting for the results,” he said.
Baek Seung-ho and Song Min-gyu (Jeonbuk), Seol Young-woo and Um Won-sang (Ulsan), who are scheduled to join the military at the end of the year, also won the Asian Games gold medal ahead of their enlistment, and their military service obligations disappeared. The ROKAF Sports Unit is planning to select additional soccer specialists, but it is expected to be difficult this year. Coach Chung’s 2024 plan is also inevitable.
However, coach Chung said, “It may be like that personally from manager Gimcheon’s point of view, but we have to look at it in terms of players being able to play in the ‘big water’ for Korean soccer.” What’s better than the players putting down their burdens. Players will try to advance overseas when they have a chance, he said.
Many of the winning members wrote the runner-up myth at the 2019 Poland U-20 World Cup. They include Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Cho Young-wook, Um Won-sang, Lee Kwang-yeon (Gangwon), Lee Jae-ik (Eland), and Choi Jun (Busan). “A player who has a lot of experience in international competitions in his childhood seems to show his head (in other competitions).
The reunion with Lee Kang-in, who had a relationship with the coach as the “youngest brother” during the Polish tournament, failed again this time. “Oh, my. I don’t think I’ll ever see a strong man (as a coach or a player),” Chung said with a smile.