Budding midfielder trying to be sponge around nat’l team veterans

SEOUL-- As one of the youngest players on the current South Korean men's national football team at 23, midfielder Um Won-sang understands his role perfectly.

He is not likely to start ahead of more established veterans at his position. But with his blazing speed and offensive instincts, Um can be a game breaker off the bench, someone who can give a stagnant offense some jolt in late moments.

That is exactly what Um did against Paraguay last Friday. He entered the match at the hour mark, with South Korea trailing 2-0. Son Heung-min cut the deficit in half with a free kick goal on 66 minutes, and then Um set up Jeong Woo-yeong's dramatic equalizer in stoppage time for a 2-2 draw.

"I was looking for ways to help the team any way I can, since we were losing at the moment," Um said Sunday at an online press conference from the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. South Korea are preparing for their next friendly match, against Egypt, on Tuesday. "I was pretty surprised that my pass led to the goal. I didn't want to hurt the team, and I was lucky to set up that goal."

Um's sharp cross from the right happened to find Jeong, the youngest member of the team at 22 and one of Um's closest friends on the squad.

Thanks to that goal, Jeong was named the Man of the Match and received 3 million won (US$2,345) in prize money.

Um quipped, "Woo-yeong told me he'd give me a cut of that money but it hasn't come in yet."

Um didn't get called up to the senior national team at first and instead made the under-23 national team currently competing at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup. But with one of the wingers, Hwang Hee-chan, sent off for his mandatory military training after playing Brazil and Chile, Um was plucked off the U-23 team as a replacement.

"I've come here to learn as much as I can, both during training and matches," Um said. "There are so many great players in my position. I am trying to make an impression here with my speed."

Um has been a development success story in South Korean football over the past three years. He starred for South Korea during their march into the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup n 2019 and helped South Korea win the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship. Um made his senior international debut in November 2020 and went on to play at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Um said playing for the country at any level never gets tired.

"I am sure everyone dreams of making the national team at some point in their careers, and I've been fortunate to be where I am today," Um said. "I don't know if it has much to do with my talent. I've been pushing myself and challenging myself to get here."

Um has earned the moniker "Um Salah" after Liverpool's Egyptian star, Mohamed Salah. Um's first-ever meeting against the actual Salah will have to wait, as the forward has been ruled out of Tuesday's match with an undisclosed injury.

"It would have been nice to see him, but I just have to do the best I can to help the team win no matter what," Um said with a smile. "We absolutely want to win that match."

Source: Yonhap News Agency

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