Team K League head coach Kim Pan-gon (C) is flanked by goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo (L) and forward Cesinha before their press conference at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on July 29, 2025, the eve of Team K League’s exhibition match against Newcastle United. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 29 (Korea Bizwire) — It is not often that K League players get to face stars from European clubs. And when the chosen few of Team K League, selected by fans and coaches, go up against Newcastle United on Wednesday, head coach Kim Pan-gon wants them to capitalize on that opportunity.
“I think this will be a chance for us to see how we stack up against Europe-based stars,” Kim said Tuesday in his press conference at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul. The stadium will host the exhibition match between Team K League and Newcastle, the English Football League Cup champions, at 8 p.m. Wednesday as part of the annual Coupang Play Series.
“And I hope our players will be motivated to overcome these challenges and use this experience as an opportunity to grow further,” Kim added. “In our meeting today, I told the players that we have to give our best effort for fans tomorrow. My staff and I have devised strong game plans, and I hope the players will execute them and make our K League fans proud.”
Kim was picked to coach Team K League as head coach of the defending K League 1 champions, Ulsan HD FC. He then recruited Gwangju FC head coach Lee Jung-hyo as his assistant for Wednesday.
“I brought him in because he is the most aggressive and detail-oriented coach in the K League,” Kim said. “We will be aggressive even on our defense. We will apply high pressing and try to be quick in our transition if we see an opportunity in midfield. And we have really talented players on our hand. As important as it is to win this match, we also want to bring joy to our fans and create some festive atmosphere for them. We will try to strike the balance.”
Members of the starting lineup, plus one under-22 player, have been voted on by fans, though a couple of players have since been replaced due to injury and impending transfer. Kim and Lee named 10 reserves to fill out the 22-man squad.
In previous editions of the Coupang Play Series, homegrown youngsters like Yang Hyun-jun and Yang Min-hyeok parlayed their surprising performances against European clubs into deals with Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively. Kim said he’ll be happy to see more players take a similar path.
“We have a lot of players here in great form,” the coach added. “Hopefully, they will receive some positive evaluation (from European scouts) and have a good opportunity.”
The starting XI includes homegrown stars, such as Ulsan HD goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, the 2024 K League 1 MVP; Jeon Jin-woo of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors; and Lee Dong-gyeong of Gimcheong Sangmu FC, and foreign-born mainstays, such as Oberdan of Pohang Steelers and Jasir Asani of Gwangju FC.
Ulsan defender Kim Young-gwon, the 2023 league MVP, and Daegu FC forward Cesinha are among the reserves.
Jo has been named to Team K League in all four years since the inception of the Coupang Play Series. He said he will try his best to keep Newcastle off the board, though he also trusts his teammates to outscore whatever defensive mistakes they may make.
“I know we have players who can score a bunch of goals. I also want to demonstrate my own skills tomorrow,” said Jo, first-choice keeper for the South Korean national team for several years. “We have dangerous players on this team, and I think Newcastle will have to be wary of us.”
Jo said he hoped to have a chance to face Newcastle’s new South Korean signing, the 18-year-old Park Seung-soo. Earlier in the day, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe had said he will try to find an opportunity to put Park on the pitch Wednesday, with the stadium being the home of his former K League club, Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
“It’ll be an honor for me to play against him,” Jo said of the teenager. “Hopefully, he will develop into a great player.”
Cesinha, who will also represent Team K League for the fourth consecutive year, thanked coach Kim for picking him and said he wanted to prove that Kim had made the right choice.
“We will go out there with the same goal and try to win that match,” the Brazilian attacker said. “I think it’s time for Newcastle players to learn more about K League players. K League players have enough quality to play for Newcastle.”
(Yonhap)
