Seung-ho Paik
AM
Deep-Lying Playmaker
Mar 17, 1997 (29)
Right
6'0"
148 lb
Uneventful half during loss
Paik played 45 minutes during the Korea Republic's 1-0 loss Wednesday against South Africa.
Analysis: It is telling that Paik underwhelmed, considering he logged zero stats Wednesday. Worse still, the central midfielder being turnover-prone resulted in his early exit for a relatively inexperienced Kim Jin-Gyu. During the 2026 World Cup's group stage, Paik logged five clearances across three games. But beyond both categories, he failed to record multiple of another, showcasing his midfield struggles for said tournament.
Cross and yellow across 77 minutes
Paik logged one cross (one accurate) and one tackle during South Korea's 1-0 loss Thursday at Mexico. In the 58th minute, he received a yellow card.
Analysis: South Korea manager Hong Myung-bo preferring an attacking Lee Kang-In, who can play in the middle, indicates why Hwang In-beom's midfield partner remains Paik. Of the Koreans, he and only two others (the aforementioned Lee and Eom Ji-Sung) logged an accurate cross against Mexico. Unfortunately for the former, his tackle was not as successful. With his legs, he hooked Brian Gutierrez from behind and got booked, meaning one more yellow rules him out one game. With both Korea needing a game-leveling goal and his previous offense in mind, Paik was replaced by Cho Gue-Sung during the 77th minute.
Adequate against Czech Republic
Paik logged four clearances in Thursday's 2-1 win against the Czech Republic.
Analysis: The last time Paik played a World Cup game he scored against Brazil in December 2022 as one of Korea's reserves. Fast-forward four years later, and he has worked his way into a starting gig. Against the Czech Republic, most of Paik's value came from defense, as he was among four Koreans to log more than three clearances. Offensively, his biggest contribution was finding Hwang In-beom in open space for his lone chance created, an effort that subsequently led to Korea's second goal, scored by Oh Hyun-Gyu.
Select Player
Search and select a player to compare