Moreno's debut tonight at 8 p.m. against Ecuador… 4-4-2 and Son Heung-min stays captain

Head coach Roberto Moreno makes his South Korea national team debut tonight in Suwon. What is confirmed is the basic 4-4-2 framework and that Son Heung-min remains captain. Son's position has not been disclosed.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

The expected starting lineup and the confirmed facts are not the same thing. In its match-day report, OSEN said the head coach has not disclosed exactly where he will use Son Heung-min. The confirmed approach is the basic 4-4-2 framework and keeping Son Heung-min as captain. Let's go through the gap between expectation and confirmed fact in date order.

Moreno's contract: 6 A-matches through November 27

It began on September 1. Roberto Moreno is the first head coach the Korea Football Association has hired through an open recruitment process, and the first Spaniard to lead the Korean national team. According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, his contract ends on November 27, and the matches he will lead are 6 A-matches. The deal also includes a clause that could extend it through the 2027 Asian Cup, depending on results.

According to Yonhap News, the friendly between South Korea and Ecuador is scheduled to be played at 8 p.m. on September 24 at Suwon World Cup Stadium. Moreno, born on September 19, 1977, turned 49 five days ago. The day before, he said, "Since the most information comes from actual matches, I want to judge the players through this match."

Moreno's career: unbeaten with the national team, club win rates in the 20s and 30s percent

Moreno went through PB Colblanc, Castelldefels and Damm before serving as assistant coach of the Spanish national team, and he moved up to head coach in 2019. He was unbeaten with the national team, but his club results dropped sharply.

Team	Matches	W	D	L	Win rate
Spain national team (2019, per FIFA report)	9	7	2	0	77.8%
AS Monaco (2019–20)	13	5	3	5	38.5%
Granada (2021–22)	29	6	10	13	20.7%
Sochi (2023–25)	62	21	21	20	33.9%

Win rate, calculated as wins divided by matches played, is 77.8% for the national team and 20.7-38.5% for the three clubs, a gap of 39.3-57.1 percentage points. The records for the Spanish national team differ by source. FIFA lists 9 matches with 7 wins and 2 draws, the Royal Spanish Football Federation's manager page lists 6 matches with 4 wins and 2 draws, and AS lists 10 matches with 8 wins and 2 draws. Because the range of matches and whether interim spells are included differ, they were not combined into one figure.

Basic 4-4-2 plan; Son Heung-min as one of two strikers not confirmed

The outline of his tactics emerged at his inaugural press conference on September 14. According to Star News, Moreno said, "The model we intend to use is 4-4-2." As selection criteria, he cited current form and balance between attack and defense over big names. Sports Donga gave the date of the press conference as the 15th, but two on-site reports say the 14th.

For the two striker spots, Sports Donga named five contenders: Son Heung-min, Cho Gue-sung, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Oh Se-hun and Lee Dong-gyeong. The options mentioned were a pairing of Son Heung-min with Cho Gue-sung or Oh Hyeon-gyu, a variant two-man attack using Lee Dong-gyeong, and Lee Kang-in playing up front. This outlet also did not treat Son Heung-min as a confirmed striker.

At a press conference on September 23, Moreno said he will keep Son Heung-min (34) as captain. Son has 144 A-match appearances and 56 goals, first in Korean history for appearances and second for goals (as of 2026.06.11). At LAFC, according to MLS Players Association data (as of 2026.04.14), his annual guaranteed compensation of $11,152,852 is second in the league. He trails No. 1 Messi by about $17.18 million and leads No. 3 De Paul by about $1.46 million.

Rank	Player	Club	Guaranteed compensation (USD)
1	Lionel Messi	Inter Miami	28,333,333
2	Son Heung-min	LAFC	11,152,852
3	Rodrigo De Paul	Inter Miami	9,688,320
4	Hirving Lozano	San Diego FC	9,333,333
5	Miguel Almirón	Atlanta United	7,871,000

Lee Kang-in and Cho Gue-sung do recovery training; whether they play will be known from the pre-match lineup

In the final training session the day before, the two players worked separately. Yonhap News reported that among the called-up players, 28 of the 30 completed normal training. Lee Kang-in (25) did recovery training outdoors and Cho Gue-sung did so indoors. OSEN wrote that whether the two will play cannot be judged from their training alone.

Lee Kang-in moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Atletico Madrid in July. According to multiple outlets including YTN, the transfer fee is a base €35 million plus €5 million in options, up to €40 million. Sports Donga classified him as a midfielder in this squad and said he can play both in the second line and up front. This outlet did not report him as a confirmed starter at right wing.

The starting lineup and the positions of Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in must be confirmed through the official announcement before the match. After the Ecuador match, 5 A-matches remain, and the contract ends on November 27. The match information is as confirmed on the morning of September 24, and results after kickoff need to be checked again. The salary ranking is based on April data and does not represent a player's total income or wealth ranking.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Until when is Moreno's contract?

The contract ends on November 27, 2026, and he will lead 6 A-matches until then. It includes a clause that could extend it through the 2027 Asian Cup, depending on results.

Q. What time is the South Korea vs. Ecuador match?

It is scheduled for 8 p.m. on September 24, 2026, at Suwon World Cup Stadium. It is Moreno's debut with the South Korean national team.

Q. What is Son Heung-min's salary?

According to the MLS Players Association's 2026 Spring Salary Guide (based on contract status as of April 14), his base salary is $10,368,750 and his annual guaranteed compensation is $11,152,852. By guaranteed compensation, he is second in MLS after Messi.

Related official sites

Korea Football Association — Check official announcements of national team rosters and match schedules
Royal Spanish Football Federation: Moreno's official manager record — Original source for his record leading the Spanish national team
LAFC: Son Heung-min's official profile — Check his club season stats
FC Midtjylland: Cho Gue-sung's official profile — Club profile and stats

Representative image · Archive photo · Not an on-site photo of the match in this article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Jpbarrass at English Wikipedia), Public domain