The Korea Professional Football Association (KPFA) today announced the final 22-man roster for the Team K League, which will take on Atletico Madrid (Spain) in the Coupang Play Series.
Team K League will face Atletico, ranked 16th in the 2023-24 UEFA Club Rankings, at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on March 27. The Spanish side is ranked No. 2 in the European league.
The 22-man roster is the result of a combination of fan voting and Team K League head coach Hong Myung-bo’s selection. You can’t argue with fairness.
Facing Atletico is a chance to showcase your skills internationally. There is also a good success story in the form of 2022 K League 1 Young Player of the Year (Under-23 MVP) Yang Hyun-jun (21-Celtic).
Yang signed with Celtic (Scotland), ranked 53rd in the European club rankings, in the summer transfer market of 2023, after playing 30 minutes in the Coupang Play Series against Tottenham (England) for Gangwon FC last July.
Ulsan Hyundai’s Bako (30-Georgia), Suwon FC’s Lars Veltbeek (32-South Africa), Pohang Steelers’ Ko Young-joon (22), and Suwon FC’s Yoon Beom-garam (33-Suwon FC) were unable to join Atletico despite being tied for third in the number of Best 11 selections in the 2023 K League 1 round of the Korean Professional Football Association. 메이저놀이터
Bacco and Lars have both played for the Dutch side, who are fifth in the Eredivisie standings. The 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League MVP Yoon Beom-garam is a veteran in his mid-30s. That’s why there are mixed reactions to Ko Young-jun, who is in his early 20s, not being selected for the Team K League.
This season, Ko has established himself as one of the top players in the K League 1, ranking fifth in goals, third in the number of times he has been named the KFA’s match MVP, and third in effective shooting percentage at 36.8 percent.
His Pohang teammate, Baek Sung-dong (32), also ranks first in assists and fifth in offensive points, making him an integral part of any discussion of the 2023 Korean Premier League. His inclusion in the roster against Atletico was not surprising.