U-23 vs U-20 (1)
Time flew by, and the national team call-up day for both the U-23 and U-20 squads arrived.
The moment the call-ups were announced, four players holding significant stakes in Seongjin Hanul FC vanished from the roster all at once.
“See you later~”
“See you later!”
“I’ll be back.”
“See you soon…!”
With those four varied farewells, the players headed for Paju, where the national teams were gathering. Han Do-a watched them go, let out a long sigh, and turned to Marco Feltner beside her.
“(Will we be all right without those four?)”
Her concern was far from excessive. Seongjin Hanul FC had never been a side that could afford to lose Kang Si-woo, Cha Jeong-woo, Yun Seo-jin, and Baek Hyeon without consequence. Kang Si-woo supplied the goals, Cha Jeong-woo carried the ball forward, Yun Seo-jin controlled the tempo and linked play, and Baek Hyeon anchored the defense while initiating build-up. Young as they were, those four formed the beating heart of the team. Losing them right in the middle of the promotion race was bound to stir worry.
Yet Marco Feltner answered with complete confidence.
“(There’s only one match without them, and it’s against a side that isn’t particularly strong. I intend to use Jo Tae-ung as an inverted winger and make him our primary goal threat, with the others supporting him.)”
“(You already have everything planned out, don’t you?)”
Jo Tae-ung might not match Cha Jeong-woo or Kang Si-woo in raw ability, but he remained a perfectly capable attacking option. Han Do-a had no desire to argue against the plan; if anything, she welcomed it.
“(The only real problem will be running proper mini-games. We’re a little short on numbers.)”
“(Sorry about that. Just hold on for the four days until the players return.)”
“(Don’t say ‘hold on.’ Having four national team players emerge from a second-division club is the greatest honor imaginable.)”
She was right, of course. A second-division side with no senior internationals had suddenly sent four starters to the national teams. Two of them had even earned spots in the Asian Games. How could anyone complain?
“(I hope Baek Hyeon, Yun Seo-jin, and the others make the U-23 squad someday.)”
“(The next Asian Games are four years away. Yun is eighteen and Baek is nineteen; they’ll both have their chance. And if it’s those two, they’ll seize it.)”
Feltner’s words were true. At meet age, Yun Seo-jin and Baek Hyeon were eighteen and nineteen respectively—plenty of time before the next Games. Still…
“(Given their talent, four years from now they might be too good for the U-23 level. They could end up ‘dropping down’ instead of being called up.)”
“(That’s possible too.)”
Their gifts were extraordinary enough that the opposite scenario was entirely plausible.
“(All right, Chef. We’ll head to training now.)”
“(Please do, Feltner.)”
With that, Marco Feltner returned to the training ground with the rest of the squad. Han Do-a could only hope her players would make the most of their national team camp.
* * *
National team call-ups varied by occasion, but it was not uncommon for the U-23 and U-20 squads to be summoned together—especially when an important tournament loomed. One side could serve as practice opposition for the other. That was precisely why both age groups had been called up this time: the U-20 players were needed as sparring partners for the U-23 side ahead of the Asian Games. The gap in quality was obvious, yet both teams stood to gain something from the matches.
Perhaps that was why, on the second day of camp, the coaches from both squads wasted no time in scheduling a practice game.
“Today we’ll play the U-20 side, just as I mentioned yesterday. The starting lineup is…”
The U-23 starting eleven naturally included Cha Jeong-woo and Kang Si-woo. Within Seongjin Hanul FC, which was currently tearing through the second division, those two had earned the highest praise. Cha Jeong-woo had already mastered the inverted wingback role, playing it as though he had spent his entire career there. Kang Si-woo, who had only appeared sporadically off the bench in the college league, had exploded for goal after goal the moment he debuted in the second division and now sat atop the scoring charts. From a coach’s perspective, neither player could be left on the bench. They were the cards that needed testing most—whether they were merely benefiting from the system or were the talents who had built it.
On the U-20 side, one Seongjin Hanul player made the starting lineup while another did not.
“At center-back, Baek Hyeon.”
Baek Hyeon started, but Yun Seo-jin did not. That outcome had been expected. Yun Seo-jin was playing alongside players two years older than him. Although he had only been a professional for a little over a month and was already regarded as a key piece of the team, he was different from the others—he was clearly a beneficiary of Seongjin Hanul’s system. Without that system, the U-20 coaches could not risk starting him. Yun Seo-jin was a difficult player to accommodate. His physical duels belonged on the U-16 level, and even then only against the sturdiest opponents. He possessed world-class vision and passing, yet his ball retention suffered badly because of his lack of physical strength. Masking those weaknesses was no simple task.
Instead, the plan was to bring him on later—once the U-23 players began to tire and the game shifted from defense to attack, giving Yun Seo-jin a little more time on the ball. At that point his shortcomings would naturally be hidden. The U-20 staff had considered all of this and kept him on the bench. Yun Seo-jin, who had never expected to start anyway, simply cheered for his U-20 teammates. He was still part of the squad, after all; even with more club colleagues on the opposing side, he had no choice but to support his age-group team.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, an interesting tension was brewing.
“Hey, Hyeon. You’re starting?”
“Looks like it. You too?”
“They must want to see what I can do.”
The exchange between Kang Si-woo and Baek Hyeon—same age, same club—carried the easy familiarity of close friends. Along with Cha Jeong-woo and No Geon-woo, the four had grown inseparable since arriving at camp. That closeness only sharpened their rivalry now.
“Next call-up, you’ll still be here. I’m going to shut you down completely.”
“Shut me down if you can.”
Baek Hyeon’s provocation met Kang Si-woo’s immediate retort. Sparks flew between them, yet both were brimming with confidence.
‘No matter what, I’ll stop Kang Si-woo.’
‘Baek Hyeon—I’m getting past him for sure.’
Cha Jeong-woo, watching the exchange, merely smiled.
“I’ll score before either of you gets the chance~”
He was just as certain of his own superiority. Cha Jeong-woo possessed abundant talent and the pride to match.
At last the match began.
U-23 versus U-20.
As expected, the U-23 side quickly took control, circulating the ball with purpose. Then—
—Thwack!
A pass that had been meant for Kang Si-woo was suddenly cut off. Baek Hyeon had intercepted it.
“Damn…!”
—Whoosh!
—Swish! Whoosh!
Kang Si-woo lunged to win the ball back, but Baek Hyeon slipped past him with ease, created the perfect angle for build-up, and immediately launched a long ball out to the flank.
“That’s one for me.”
Less than two minutes into the game, Baek Hyeon helped Kang Si-woo to his feet. Kang Si-woo glared at him.
“Let’s see who wins. If I break through even once, that’s my victory.”