CHEONAN — Kim Min-soo, a 20-year-old rising talent at Scottish powerhouse Rangers, and FC Seoul midfielder Jung Seung-won, 29, who has driven his club to the top of the K League, have been named in interim coach Robert Moreno's first South Korea squad.
Moreno, a Spaniard, announced a 30-man squad on the 14th at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, for six international matches in September and October.
While mainstays such as Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid) and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) were all included in the 30-man list, the two names drawing the most attention are Kim Min-soo and Jung Seung-won.
Kim Min-soo joined the youth team of Girona, then in Spain's La Liga, in the summer of 2022, made his debut for the club's B team that October and grew into a key player there. during the 2025-26 season, he made 40 appearances with six goals and four assists, and moved to Rangers in this summer's transfer window.
Moreno, a former Spain national team coach and FC Barcelona assistant coach, choosing a player who came through the Spanish league appears significant.
Kim Min-soo carries high expectations at Rangers, where he was handed the No. 10 shirt. He has yet to record a goal or an assist but has started three of the club's four league matches, showing he has settled into his new team.
Jung Seung-won, who has led FC Seoul's charge at the top of K League 1, also won Moreno's approval. With eight goals and six assists in 29 K League 1 matches this season, he returns to the national team for the first time in 14 months, since July last year.
"I picked players based first on the role they play at their current clubs and their performances," Moreno said. "It is current ability, not the past, that will earn a place in the national team."
Moreno's side faces Ecuador at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 24th and Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 28th. In October, the team plays Venezuela at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on the 2nd and Uzbekistan at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 6th.
