Kim urged his players not to be complacent.

The South Korean Under-20 soccer team, led by head coach Kim Eun-jung, arrived at Incheon International Airport on Thursday afternoon. The team recently finished fourth at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 in Argentina.

It was the third fourth-place finish in South Korean men’s soccer history at a FIFA-organized tournament. It was the first fourth-place finish since the 1983 U-20 World Cup in Mexico and the 2002 World Cup in Korea.

Leading up to the tournament, Kim Eun-Joong-ho wasn’t given much attention. They didn’t have a star player from the ‘national team’. At the 2017 U-20 World Cup, there were Lee Seung-woo and Baek Seung-ho. At the 2019 U-20 World Cup, Lee Kang-in played, so even though he was a member of the U-20 national team before the tournament, the attention was different.메이저놀이터

Kim Eun-jung-ho also had Bae Joon-ho, who was already recognized as a big prospect by Daejeon Hana Citizens, and Kim Ji-soo, who was receiving interest from Brentford in the Premier League, but more fans in Korea were unaware of their existence. This led to the underestimation of Kim as a member of the valley generation.

Despite the lack of external recognition, the players we saw at the tournament showed great potential. It was Kim Eun-joong who led the players to reach their full potential. He created a ‘one-man team’ with players who hadn’t even played professionally yet. He organized a realistic strategy and used tactics that brought out the best in his players, leading them to the quarterfinals.

“Before the tournament, our players didn’t receive much attention,” Kim said at the welcome event at Incheon International Airport’s Transportation Center 2. But through this tournament, they proved it. I also saw that they have infinite potential,” he said, praising their performance more than his own.

Kim Eun-joong took care of his players until the end. “This is not the end,” he said. I want to see them go back to their teams and win the competition against themselves, win the competition against their seniors, and play a lot of games. I want them to grow a lot for the future of Korean soccer. As a coach, I want to say thank you, and for the players, I don’t think there’s anything better than saying thank you.”