'Firefighter' Coach Hwang Sun-hong is now heading to the Olympic qualifying round

We've made it through the crisis.

Coach Hwang Sun-hong temporarily resigned as the coach after the fourth Group C match of the second Asian regional qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-Central America World Cup against Thailand on Wednesday. Hwang successfully completed two A-match games in March with one win and one draw.  토토

◆ Successful Resolution

Hwang was leading the U-23 national team. He led the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG) gold medal last year. The national team's power enhancement committee entrusted Hwang with the interim baton of the A-team, which had been left vacant due to the replacement of former coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Hwang threw an adventurer to take charge of the A-team ahead of the U-23 Asian Cup, which will also serve as an Olympic qualifier next month.

He overcame the crisis head-on. Hwang formed the national team by communicating with players. In particular, he discussed in person the recruitment of Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min, who were at the center of controversy. "I received many benefits during my 14-year career as a member of the national soccer team, and I thought that I should be of help to him as a soccer player," Hwang said. "I avoided soccer in difficult times and did not do so when it was easy."

The team has made it so that players can focus only on the game. Hwang gave consideration to players so that they could spend time together. He strengthened internal solidarity by minimizing external exposure. On the first day of the team's convocation on April 18, only Hwang had an interview and the training session was open for only 15 minutes. The next day, the training session was completely closed to the public. It did not hold any events including open training sessions with fans.

The mood was getting better. Players were distracted and focused only on soccer. As a result, the team displayed far better performance. It concluded its two consecutive matches against Thailand with one win and one draw, taking it one step closer to advancing to the final qualifying round.

◆ Back to my day job

While Hwang focused on the A team, the U-23 team, led by its senior coach Myung Jae-yong, has launched the 2024 Western Asian Football Confederation (WAFF) U-23 Championship. It was the final mock test ahead of the U-23 Asian Cup to be held next month. The U-23 team won the title at the championship despite lack of leadership. In the match against Australia, Hwang also confirmed the team's competitiveness by equally fighting. He even decided on the lineup and concept of each match in advance. He held the championship by giving feedback through videos of matches and training sessions.

After finishing his A-team schedule, Hwang will return to the leadership of the U-23 team. He will seek to advance to the Olympics finals for the 10th consecutive time. At the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar on April 15, Hwang must rank within the top three in order to advance to the Olympics finals. The fourth place finisher is seeking his final advance to the finals by playing in a play-off by different continents.

The best scenario is that the team ranks third and goes straight to the next team. After finishing the WAFF U-23 Championship, the U-23 team will confirm its final entry upon its return to Korea. It will reconvene in Korea on April 2 and depart for Dubai, the United Arab Emirates on April 5. It will have a practice match with a Middle Eastern team on April 9 and arrive in Doha, Qatar, on April 10.

"I want to get things done for the A team and get back to the Olympic team players who are struggling. I will prepare well and try to get good results in the U-23 Asian Cup," Hwang said.