‘Strategy vs. experiment’ eyes cross over the choice of El Salvador
Clash in Utah, USA on June 4th… “Is it adaptation to high altitudes or a rehearsal for victory?”
37 days ahead of the opening of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, the final friendly match opponent selected by Hong Myung-boho was El Salvador, ranked 100th in the FIFA rankings. Since he was selected in the final stages of preparation for the finals, a lot of attention is being paid to him. There are also conflicting interpretations about the background of Hong Myung-boho, who skipped the domestic launch ceremony for the first time in 40 years and used the excuse of ‘local adaptation’, to select this team as the target for the final inspection of North and Central America ahead of the World Cup finals.
According to the soccer world on the 6th, the El Salvador Football Federation (FESFUT) officially announced on its official website the previous day, “We will play a friendly match with the Korean national team during the A-match period in June.” The game will be held on June 4th at 8 a.m. (Korean time) at America First Field in Sandy, Utah, USA. After announcing the final list on the 16th of this month, Hong Myung-boho plans to leave for Salt Lake City, USA on the 18th to begin a pre-camp to adapt to the highlands.
◆Altitude rehearsal aimed at Guadalajara, ‘1500m above sea level’
What Hong Myung-boho chose as the watershed that will determine the success or failure of this World Cup is ‘adaptation to high altitudes.’ Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, where the first and second group matches will be held, is located approximately 1,570 meters above sea level. In an environment where oxygen is scarce, the cardiopulmonary load increases rapidly and air resistance decreases, making the ball’s trajectory faster than usual.
America First Field, where this evaluation match is held, is also an elevated area of approximately 1,365 meters above sea level. Although it is about 200 meters lower than the main competition stadium, the national team believes that it is sufficient to project the acclimatization accumulated in the pre-camp into the actual game. Excluding some overseas teams such as Son Heung-min (LAFC), the calculation is to provide actual rehearsals to the players who lack experience in high-altitude games.
◆ ‘Omission of launch ceremony’ for the first time in 40 years since 1986… Korea Football Association: “Adaptation is the top priority”
What stands out in preparation for this World Cup is that the domestic kick-off ceremony was unusually omitted. Regarding this, the Korea Football Association (KFA) said in an official explanation, “It was a strategic choice taking into account the geographical characteristics of the finals venue.” “In order to overcome the double whammy of time difference and high altitude, we decided that joining the local pre-camp as soon as possible was essential to maintain performance,” he said, adding that he would maximize the local adaptation period instead of minimizing domestic events.
◆ The final match against the ‘100th ranked’, the controversy over effectiveness is homework
Nevertheless, there are still mixed views regarding the partner called El Salvador. El Salvador is a team that failed to advance to the finals of this World Cup, and recorded a 1-1 draw against Korea in Daejeon in 2023. In a situation where they have to deal with the powerhouses of the finals, such as Mexico in 15th place and the Czech Republic in 41st place, questions are also raised about whether they can check their tactical completeness against teams with relatively lower power.
Some say that Hong Myung-Boho, who suffered consecutive scoreless losses to Cote d’Ivoire (0-4) and Austria (0-1) in the European friendly match last March, is a ‘strategic choice considering both strength review and mood recovery’. However, evaluations are mixed as to whether this choice can lead to enhanced competitiveness in actual combat.
In the end, the game against El Salvador on June 4th is expected to be a stage where Hong Myung-boho will have to explain the reason for his choice of ‘adaptation to high altitudes’ through the content of the game. At the same time, it appears that it will also be a test of whether fans’ concerns can be converted into acceptance.
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