Seoul: South Korea men's football head coach Hong Myung-bo said Monday he sees the two upcoming friendly matches in the United States as an opportunity to further experiment with new tactics and strategies ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Hong and nine members of his 26-man squad left South Korea for the U.S. on Monday, with the 17 remaining players, all of them based in foreign leagues, set to join the national team later this week.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Taegeuk Warriors will first play the home team U.S. at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, at 5 p.m. Saturday (local time), or 6 a.m. Sunday (South Korean time). Then they will travel to Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, to take on Mexico at 8 p.m. Sept. 9 (local time), or 10 a.m. Sept. 10 (South Korean time).