@taegukscout
🇰🇷🇺🇸 PFSA/FA Certified Football scout (South Korea focus), writer, freelance creative 360 Scouting Previously: Eyeball http://substack.com/@taegukscout https://x.com/taegukscout https://www.instagram.com/taegukscout #KNT #KLeague
K1 clubs I'm interested in watching this season
• Jeju SK - dark horse for Final A
• Jeonbuk - potential trio of Oberdan, Kang Sang-yun, and Kim Jin-gyu
• Incheon - return to K1
• FC Seoul - solid squad on paper
• Gangwon - young but competitive team
🆕 2026 K League 1 Preview: Breaking Down Each Club’s Most Intriguing Offseason Move
Inside:
• Picks for all 29 K1 & K2 clubs
• Jeonbuk refueling for another title run
• Transfers with big shoes to fill
Full story below 👇
🆕 5 Multinational Players to Watch for South Korea
Inside:
• '09 mezzala from Scandinavia
• a rare Korean in Serie A
• a tri-national center back
Full story below 👇
The KFA's decision doesn't make sense. They're saying that player injuries and players not getting released for a midseason tournament paper over the cracks of Lee Min-sung's poor result at the U23 Asian Cup. Those 2 issues will not go away at the 2026 Asian Games.
🆕 UP NXT #2: Jeonbuk Hyundai's Kim Su-hyung - '07 Ball Playing CB
Inside:
• Intriguing passer at 18
• New manager Chung Jung-yong
• Player comparisons: shades of a certain left-footed Korean international CB
Full story below 👇
🆕 The Curious Case of Oh Hyeon-gyu
Thought this might be a good time to talk about him given his links to Fulham.
Inside:
• His profile & production in Europe
• Ex-Gangwon striker Franko Kovacevic
• "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
Full story below 👇
🆕 Is Versatility Quietly Hindering Korean Players?
Inside:
• The double-edged sword of versatility
• Lee Kang-in & Luis Enrique
• Misprofiling, Championship wingers, and more
Full story below 👇
🆕 Seeing Football Differently: Lessons from the NBA
Inside:
• Moreyball and the analytics revolution
• How spacing translates across basketball and football
• Guardiola's system on display vs Newcastle
Full story below 👇
🆕 Why K League 2 Could Be a Fun Football Manager Save in 2026 and Beyond
Inside:
• Revisiting FM nostalgia
• A sleeping giant's potential revival
• Ambitious projects and major rule changes
Full piece below 👇
🆕 My Way-Too-Early South Korean U23 Squad for the 2026 Asian Games
With the Asian Cup less than a week away, I broke down the potential AG roster.
Inside:
• My full 22-man team + reasoning
• Debating the 3 over-age wildcards
• Picking my best XI
Full story below 👇
🆕 10 Things on my 🎄 X-Mas Wish List: Korean Football Edition
I talk about:
• Coupang Play coverage
• Bae Jun-ho & Eom Ji-sung
• The next generation
• Raising the bar in Korean football
• and more . . .
Full story below 👇
🆕 5 Lessons I've Learned in my First Full Year as a Professional Football Scout
What's inside:
• What makes the best collaborations
• No, I am not Rodri
• Managing environments
Full story below 👇
I grew up reading @johnduerden.bsky.social's articles in Asian football, so for him to recommend my Substack newsletter is an absolute honor. Thank you John.
Make sure to follow his work as well!
I still think he should have left Wolves in the summer. The Eredivisie could have been interesting. Had some interest from PSV
Physicality + technique can go a long way.
Just ask Hwang Hee-chan. Early on he was raw: erratic decisions, inconsistent passing, frustrating to watch at times.
But his strength & ball striking were always a threat.
Things started to click once the game slowed down for him.
Confidence & trust shape careers.
Look at Hong Hyun-seok, one of the most reliable playmakers in Belgium a few years ago.
800 league minutes in the past 2 years. He lacks confidence right now, and he's always been a bit of a confidence player. The poor guy badly needs a loan.
Next year's K League 2 looks fun 👀
⬇️ Suwon FC
⬇️ Daegu FC
Suwon Samsung
Seoul E-Land
Seongnam FC
Jeonnam
Gimpo
Busan
Chungnam Asan
Hwaseong
Gyeongnam
Cheongju FC
Cheonan City
Ansan
🆕 Gimhae FC 2008
🆕 Yongin FC
🆕 Paju Frontier
With Bucheon beating Suwon FC in the playoff, next year's K League 1 is set:
Jeonbuk
Daejeon
Gimcheon
Pohang
Gangwon
FC Seoul
Gwangju
FC Anyang
Ulsan
Jeju
⬆️ Bucheon
⬆️ Incheon
Poyet is standing with Taricco in solidarity, his staff will leave after today's cup final unfortunately.
I have zero tolerance for racism, but looking back at the clip again, I don't think Taricco was being racist. Just (rightfully) mad over a terrible call.
Looks even worse when you consider Park Yong-woo was suspended only one game for actually being racist.
