Hong Myung-bo’s men’s national soccer team is facing a series of setbacks in its third qualifying campaign for the North and Central American World Cup in Asia. Iraq’s main man Aymen Hussein (28, Al-Khor), who was expected to miss some time due to injury, has returned to the field.
Qatari club Al-Khor announced on its official website on Monday, “Hussein underwent a medical examination and his condition has improved. He is ready to take the next step to play official matches and we wish him the best of luck with the Iraqi national soccer team.”
The signing marks the end of a recent falling out with the Iraqi Football Federation after Alcor refused to release Hussein for A-match duty. Iraq national team coach Jesús Casas included Hussein in the October call-up list (26-man squad) despite him suffering a rib injury in a September 온라인카지노사이트 qualifier against Oman.
Iraq is ranked 55th by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), second only to South Korea in Group B. Iraq will host Palestine on Nov. 11 for their third Group B match of the tournament before traveling to South Korea on Nov. 15 for their fourth away match.
Coach Qasas’s main tactic is to play a tight defense followed by counterattacks. Hussein is a perfect fit for this tactic. Not only does he have the post play to take advantage of his height (189 centimeters), but he also has the discipline required for counterattacks and the finishing ability in front of goal.
At the Asian Cup in Qatar earlier this year, Hussain finished second in scoring with six goals in just four games, averaging 40 minutes per game. In the group stage against Japan, he scored two goals, both headers, in a 2-1 win. Hussein has been touted as one of Asia’s most promising strikers outside of Iraq, with a wild card spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics for players over 24 years old.
He will be the one to watch out for when the South Korean men’s national soccer team, led by Hong Myung-bo, goes on the attack. While the Koreans have the edge in terms of objective quality, they are still rebuilding their defense, which could leave them vulnerable.
Hong is looking for a new partner for Kim Min-jae (28-Bayern Munich) in this call-up. Kim Young-kwon (34-Ulsan), the traditional anchor defender, has been left out of the call-up, leaving Kim Joo-sung (24-Seoul), Lee Han-beom (22-Mitwilan), Jung Seung-hyun (30-Alwassl) and Cho Yoo-min (28-Sharjah) to compete for a starting spot.