\AG 8-goal scorer\ Jung Woo-young \wants to be a starring role a
World Cup North America 2026 qualifies for second round in Asia
Eight goals lead Hangzhou AG to third straight gold medal
National soccer team member Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart) has expressed his desire to play a starring role for the Korean A team at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, following his gold medal and top scoring performance.
"Through the Asian Games, I felt what a starring role is, and I want to be a starring role," Jung told reporters on Thursday at Mokdong Sports Complex in Yangcheon-gu.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games, which ended last month, South Korean soccer won the gold medal, becoming the first team to win three consecutive Asian Games titles. With eight goals, Jung Woo-young was the tournament"s top scorer and spearheaded the gold medal hunt.
He plays in the German professional soccer league, the Bundesliga, but is more of a supporting player for the A team.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang In-beom (Tsubena Zvezda), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) are the core of the A team. Competition is fierce, especially in the offensive line and positions.
Jung Woo-young also attended the 2022 World Cup in Qatar last year, but his only appearance was in the second group game against Ghana.
It"s a great start to their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup North America.
"I"m really enjoying (the call-up). It"s very fun and nice to play our first game at home and in front of our fans. It"s also nice to be able to play with my brothers in Korea after a long time."
Jürgen Klinsmann"s (GER) team will open the second leg of their North American World Cup Asia campaign against Singapore on April 16.
"After the World Cup in Qatar, I"m looking forward to being with the team for the first time in the qualifiers. I"m looking forward to helping the team do well from the sidelines, and I"ll do my best to put on a good show when we go out on the field."
On the fierce competition, he said, "I"m very motivated. Competition is more helpful for me than stress," he said.
"Through the Asian Games, I felt what it is to be a star, and I want to be a star again," he said, adding, "In order to be a star, I will prepare well from the first qualifying match and show a good performance so that I can be a star once again."
Meanwhile, Klinsmann is preparing for the Singapore match in Mokdong as his contract at the National Training Center (NFC) in Paju, Gyeonggi-do is about to expire. He is staying at his mother"s hotel in Seoul.
"I"ve been training in Paju, but it"s strange to go back and forth between the hotel and the (other) training center. Rice tastes better in Paju," he said, "but I will adapt well and produce good results."
The first match of the second qualifying round between South Korea and Singapore will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.