World Cup Preview
Copy intro from previous episode.
Opening Joke
*whistle sound* Oh look, it’s that time again! Well everyone except for my show, because it wasn’t around the last time this came up. We’re talking about the World Cup, and like usual South Korea’s playing in it! We’re going to cover the team, which can’t seem to stay out of the news for some reasons *joke sting* and their opponents in the group. Does Korea have a chance to get out of group stage? Or does it matter since they’ll probably get smooshed by Brazil or a European team anyway *joke sting*? Tune in and get your horns on, Red Devil fans!
Go over South Korea team’s coach and roster
After South Korea qualified, there have been some issues with their road to the Cup. Let’s start with the KFA fracas. The current president of the Korean Football Association chose Hong Myung-Bo to coach the men’s national team, but the process was not transparent and his replacement of Klingsmann was also seen as suspect by fans and later the ministry. To be fair, Klingsmann wasn’t doing a great job, but the fans weren’t a fan of Hong coming back either. The ministry audited the KFA leadership and didn’t like what they found. According to reports in Yonhap news, there was enough to penalize KFA president Chung and the leadership. The KFA took it to court and the court sided with the KFA, allowing Chung to be re-elected, but now the investigation is taking a turn for the worst and the Feds are expressing interest in greater transparency from the KFA. Within limits, because FIFA doesn’t like it when the Feds manage the national team leadership. No no no, just like that song. *joke sting*. Anyway, Chung has decided to step down at the end of the World Cup, but when he goes, Coach Hong’s job is definitely going on the chopping block if he can’t get them deep into the playoffs. So let’s go over his roster.
*soccer ball sound* Coach Hong is playing the 4-3-3 system which has gotten a lot of gears grinding in the soccer press because his players got cooked in the warmup matches. But he’s adamant about not changing. I’m just concerned that he’s going to give up a lot of breakaways. Anyway, onto the players, well at least the ones that can play. More on that in a minute. At forward they’ve got Son Heung Min the legend who plays at LAFC these days. Lately he hasn’t scored many goals and there are signs this will be his last World Cup campaign. Son’s shown some improvement since his last MLS match and against Trinidad. He’s not expected to carry the team which is good because he ain’t the Lebron James of football. Also at forward are Oh Hyeon Gyu of South Besiktas JK but he has muscle soreness and is coming into the tournament kinda hurt, and Jo Gyu Seong of Danish Superliga club… Midtjylland oh hell I know I botched that one *joke sting*! Jo scored twice against Trinidad while Oh was on the bench so expect Son and Jo to work the striking spots well. At midfielder, they’ve got good players but many are banged up. Lee Gang-in is the best known name because he plays for Paris St. Germain. I use the word Plays in quotes since he didn’t play much in the Champions league this season and his last match was May 18th. Lee’s ankle injury should be fine by next week but expect him to get heavy minutes since he’s their strongest player on the left side. Hwang Hee-Chan of Wolverhampton is also on the team, but the Wolves were awful and got relegated Hwang Hee-Chan can use this world cup to improve his value, but he may have competition from Hwang In-Beom of Feyenoord but In-Beom’s got injury recovery problems as well. The Guardian talked alot about Lee Jae Seong of Mainz. Jae Seong’s had a tough season but with 100 matches on the national team, he brings a bit of needed experience, especially for the injury replacements. The Guardian also said he is tenacious and well-balanced on both offense and defense. Bae Joon Hoo of Stoke City is another solid midfielder but he got hurt in the Trinidad game. At defender is where the team looks good on paper but may not be on the actual field. Jens Castrop of Borussia uh… I’m a try my best here… Mönchengladbach guzentite *joke sting* has youth and a lot of energy and offensive talent. People are calling him a wild card but he hasn’t been that way in Europe this season. Unfortunately it looks like they lost Cho Yu Min to a rupture in the plantar fascia according to reports in the Choson Daily. But they still have Kim Min Jae of Bayren Munich and Jo Wi-je of Jeonbuk and Lee Ki-hyuk of Gangwon FC had a standout performance that may vault him into the starting position. At goalie no particular name stands out but Kim Seung Gyu is the likely starter since he plays for FC Tokyo.
These consistent injuries are going to be the hardest hurdle to overcome, especially with strong teams like Argentina and Spain around. But how are they doing lately? Let’s find out, after this…
Copy Plug for SIM Company from last week’s episode
Go over their last 4 games
To really get a clue on what to expect from the team, we need to look at the recent friendlies this year. Let’s start with their 4 to nil loss to Ivory Coast. I could hear the die-hard fans yelling on their TikTok Channels like Angry Rantman THERE IS NO PASSION THERE IS NO DEFENSE THERE IS NO AGGRESSION! *joke sting* Yeah the weaknesses of the 3 back system became apparent in this match. Hwang Hee-Chan also got injured in that game but not enough to take him out early. Former national team player Kim Young-kwang even called for Hong to be replaced.
Then they lost 1 to nil against No. 24 Austria, which I believe is a more serious indicator of their talent level and it made them drop 3 points in the FIFA rankings to 25th. Kim Min Jae played very well but the rest of the defense made a crucial mistake. Then they played rank 102 Trinidad & Tobago in Salt Lake city for their first tuneup game and won 5 to nil. Son Heung Min scored goals which helped break his scoring drought and the team really clicked as a whole. *Cheering sounds* Yeah I was happy too but the rest of the fans were not. In the Korean Herald, they heard chatter amongst fans that the friendly was too easy since Trinidad is not in the World Cup and other stronger teams were busy. I believe that it gave the team a chance to try out some players who aren’t injured, but the game led to two injuries which didn’t help.
They played El Salvador yesterday and won 1 to nil, but Coach Hong said their offence had difficulties early in the match. Lee Dong-yeong scored 10 minutes into the second half. A key note here is that Son Heung Min didn’t play until the second half, fueling speculation that he might come off the bench more often as the tournament progresses. Fans and experts were a bit disappointed that Korea’s relentless offensive push didn’t net any further goals. I’m not saying we should be worried, but El Salvador is ranked 100 so it’s not a good look.
Go over their opponents’ current situations
Their first game is against Czechia next week on the 12th at 11AM Korea Time. Czechia got here by beating Denmark in the UEFA playoffs so they’ve had less time to prepare compared to Korea. Czechia’s got a physicality advantage with taller players as well as top tier European league players. Patrik Schick of Bayer Leverkusen is their best player with 16 goals for them and he will be very hard for the Korean defense to contain. The coach is much better than Hong with a greater emphasis on data usage and flexibility. The team’s ranked 41 in FIFA which is well behind Korea, and they’ve been training in Dallas which is nowhere near as high up as Guadalajara Mexico. This is their first world cup since 2006 which is a serious disadvantage against the other teams. Korea will be better prepared for the conditions, but if they don’t I’ll buy a Kozel *joke sting*.
Then Korea plays Mexico. Mexico is the clear favorite by most of the betters and they got an automatic bid because they’re the host nation. Makes life easy for them. They are ranked 14 in FIFA and are a consensus pick to go deep. They’ve got an experienced 3 time coach Javier Aguierre AkA El Vasco who said “You have to learn how to suffer,” unquote. He built a resilient team around Raúl Jiménez of Fulham who recovered from a fractured skull. The fans are a strong X-factor, but they are finicky and may even start cheering for Korea if BTS or Blackpink appear on an ad. Ole! *joke sting*. If they win I’ll drink a…Corona. It might be the only mexican beer around here.
And finally they finish group play against South Africa. The South Africa team is deliberately targeting South Korea for an upset according to reports I’ve seen here and there. Of course they have to solve their visa problems first. They haven’t even gotten to Mexico yet because the visa office botched their applications! Of course, there might be some shenanigans at US State department, but we’ll see what the team says in a week. Just in early January they were eliminated from the African Cup of Nations after losing to Cameroon in the Round of 16. Their coach is 74 and thusly at the end of his career, and they’re too reliant on Lyle Foster but they’ve got potent wings like Oswin Appollis that can wreck sleepy defenses. Some analysts have them placed fourth but one had them placing third. They’re not gonna win a game with their current conditions, but if they do, I’ll definitely drink some South african wine *joke sting*.
Talk about the start times and viewing options for the 3 games.
Korea plays in Group A so they go first. You can watch the Czechia match on JTBC and KBS, and streaming on Naver Sports, I think. I can actually watch that game! A rarity for me! Thank you World Cup planning committee! Next game is against Mexico on the 19th at 10AM. Not sure of the viewing options for that at the time of this writing so I will post an update on my Bluesky account on Thursday if they change. The last game of the group stage is against South Africa on the 26th at 10am as well. If you work Friday’s, sorry but you’ll just have to watch the highlights. If you don’t work on Friday’s like me, then you got all the time in the world to tune in!
Talk about your expected scores and outcomes.
And now, what do I expect each game will be?
South Korea beats Czechia 2 to 1. Then loses 4 to 1 against Mexico. That’s gonna be a squash game. Against South Africa they will win 3 to 1 and will need some help, either from Mexico or Czechia to get 2nd place. Some 3rd place finishers will get out of group with the new tournament setup but I wouldn't rely on that.
Let’s say Korea finishes 2nd. They might play against Bosnia or Canada. Either way, I think they’ll win. Then they would face Netherlands or Morocco and I don’t think they’ve got the talent to beat either team. If they get third place, they’d likely face Germany and get squashed. If Japan wins that group instead of Germany, and wins some more, there’s a possibility of a Japan vs Korea match in the Round of 16. Whoo boy people would REALLY pay attention to the cup if that somehow happened!
Anyway there are lots of previews and expectations online at this point so I’ll suggest you google it, but pay most attention to the Guardian preview and the substack Unexpected Goals and Fighting Stripes because I felt their analysis was the strongest. Also, contrary to popular relief, team scouts DO NOT read reddit or substack to get secret analysis of their opponents as well as injury info. That’s an ice-hockey thing *joke sting*
GOTW
Rocket Hockey League is back in action! The first games of the season are this weekend with Team Sedin vs Team Aho I probably said that wrong. First game of the season will be tonight sometime at a hockey rink somewhere in Seoul! They play most Fridays this season so if you can’t make game 1, there’ll be another chance soon enough. Check their instagram rockets underscore kr for details about the games. Think of it this way; you won’t have to pay for air-con if you’re there.
Also this weekend we’ve got KT vs SSG this weekend in Suwon, with SSG desperate to get out of the bottom tier and KT wanting to get up to first place. The other marquee matchup in baseball is Samsung vs Kia as both teams want to keep their playoff spot and take the lead in the rivalry. I’d love to tell you the matchups but they haven’t been released. They don’t make it easy for us, now do they? Couldn’t even throw me a bone *joke sting*
In footie we’ve only got K2 as the marquee matches this month, so we should enjoy it! Busan vs Chungnam Asan has potential given that I-Park’s got Seoul E-Land on their heels and Asan’s got a chance to move past Daegu into the playoff side of the table. Their game will be tonight at 730 in Gudeok Busan. On Saturday the 12 we’ve got a good women’s matchup with 상무여자축구 VS 경주한수원WFC. Gyeongju’s won 2 games lately and wants to prove it can salvage the season but Sangmu’s a tough opponent. We’ll find out for sure whether this comeback is actually true or not.
And finally a surprise came my way via Instagram. It appears the Asia Volleyball Women’s cup group A matches are happening in the Philippines this week. First Korea match is June 6th against Kyrgyzstan at 10PM Korea time which is 9PM local time. Wow that hella late in the evening. They play Uzbekistan on Sunday at the same time, then Tuesday 4pm against the Philippines, Thursday 7pm vs Australia and finally Friday 10pm against Taiwan. They making our ladies play past their bedtime! *joke sting* Anyway you can watch the matches on VolleyballWorld Youtube channel.
Stars of the Game
Time for our new segment Stars of the Game where we profile a retired or rising star of Korean sports!
This week it was reported in the Chosun Daily that the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will also host MMA, so Korea made a national team with Choi Eun-seok of team ROAD FC Jeonju and Lee Bo-mi of SSMA Sangsang Dojang to go for the gold. So let’s talk about Korea’s fighting finest! Choi Eun-seok is a Featherweight with a 5 win one loss pro record and he won bronze in the 3rd Asia MMA Championship in January. Lee Bo-mi is an Atomweight with a 3 wins 2 losses pro record, and she won bronze in 4th Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association Championships last month. If a fighter wins a gold medal at the Asian Games, they will receive a reward as much as 300 million won! Go for the gold and get that check *cash register sound*
Ending
Copy first ending from previous episode
A shoutout to our listeners in Curitiba Parana Brazil! Home of the Chute Boxe Academy where big MMA names like Anderson Silva and Cris Cyborg got their start! Curitiba is a punch above the rest! *joke sting* We will return on the 19th and I’ll be covering the KT Whiz with Co-host Mr. J! May your arm bars choke out the haters, Korean Sports Fans!
(AI voice) Guests of the Hwa-ting sports podcast get new threads from theMost Vintage clothes, the greatest secondhand clothing shop in Ansong! They’ve got it all, from backpacks kids left at hagwons to soju smelling golf shirts! If you dig long enough you might even find a pair of bootleg Versace hotpants or a Shin Chang-won Missoni shirt! (speed up this part) All sales final! Rumors of poisonous insects in clothes are unfounded!
Notes
S. Korean football chief Chung Mong-gyu to step down after 2026 World Cup | Yonhap News Agency
2026 World Cup Group A preview: Mexico’s journey starts here | FMF State Of Mind
2026 World Cup Group A Preview: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea & Czechia | RotoWire
2026 World Cup: Group A Preview - Yahoo Sports
Peppered by controversy, beleaguered KFA chief to step down after World Cup
It pays to play in the World Cup: KFA announces bonuses, with 1 billion won each on the line
South Korea Crushes Trinidad 5-0; Son, Cho Double
South Korea's World Cup Challenges Under Media Spotlight
Defender Cho Yu-min ruled out of World Cup with foot injury | Yonhap News Agency
Little to cheer in big win: S. Korean soccer fans question World Cup warmup - The Korea Herald
Lee Kang-in's Ankle Injury Deepens World Cup Concerns
British outlet warns South Korea unlikely to advance at 2026 World Cup - CHOSUNBIZ
How is Korea Republic looking for the World Cup? -fighting stripes substack