Fans suspect KFA of seeking easy wins; commentators point to more practical reason South Korean captain Son Heung-min, who wore No. 13 instead of his signature No. 7 during Saturday's friendly game against Trinidad and Tobago in Utah, performs his signature goal celebration after scoring his first goal against the Caribbean nation. (Yonhap) The South Korean national team beat Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 on Saturday in the first of two US-based friendlies ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the lopsided victory did little to silence criticism from fans who questioned whether the match offered meaningful preparation ahead of the tournament.“They bring a team ranked 102nd in the FIFA rankings and call it a World Cup warmup match,” one user wrote on X. “Other teams don’t play warmups against sides ranked lower than 100th. The Korea Football Association must be out of its mind.”South Korea is No. 25 in the FIFA rankings.The backlash began after the Korea Football Association announced that the national team would play Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador before heading into the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. Fans complained that neither opponent had qualified for the tournament and both were too weak to help South Korea meaningfully prepare.Fan anger runs deeper South Korean head coach Hong Myung-bo speaks to reporters on Friday after arriving in Salt Lake City. During the meeting with press, Hong said he was "surprised" after learning of KFA President Chung Mong-gyu's decision to step down. (Yonhap) The criticism over the friendlies comes amid broader frustration with the KFA, its President Chung Mong-gyu and head coach Hong Myung-bo.The KFA has faced a series of controversies, including allegations the association attempted to pardon players involved in match-fixing and that Hong was appointed without proper procedures.The Culture Ministry launched an investigation into the KFA and in July 2024 recommended punitive measures against Chung. The KFA refused to accept the recommendation and filed an administrative suit against the ministry, but lost the case at the Seoul Administrative Court.Its controversies have weighed on public support for the national team. Interest has fallen sharply, with some friendlies toward the end of 2025 failing to sell out. Fan groups have called for both Hong and Chung to resign.Chung, who headed the country's soccer association for 13 years, announced Friday that he would step down after this year’s World Cup.Hong has also faced mounting criticism after South Korea suffered back-to-back friendly defeats in March, losing 4-0 to Ivory Coast, ranked No. 37 at the time, and 1-0 to No. 24 Austria. Following the matches, fans expressed concerns over what some described as Hong's "lack of tactic."South Korea fell three spots in the FIFA rankings, from No. 22 to No. 25, in April.Why weaker opponents? South Korean manager Hong Myung-bo (right) pats team captain Son Heung-min on the back as he is substituted out in the second half of a friendly on Saturday against Trinidad and Tobago in Provo, Utah. (Yonhap) Fans have accused the KFA of arranging matches against weaker teams to secure easy wins, boost public anticipation and ease pressure on Hong’s team since the March defeats."They probably just scheduled weaker teams because they were tired of fans complaining," one fan wrote on social media.But some soccer observers say there may have been practical reasons behind the opponents.“The Korean team has gone to Salt Lake City to prepare for the World Cup because its matches will be played in Guadalajara, a high-altitude city,” soccer commentator Lee Hwang-jae said during a panel discussion on YouTube.“There are not many teams preparing with altitude in mind, apart from South Korea and a few others.”South Korea has been drawn into the same group as Mexico, one of the tournament’s co-hosts, and is scheduled to play its group-stage matches in Guadalajara, a Mexican city located more than 1,500 meters above sea level.Provo sits at a similar altitude of nearly 1,400 meters above sea level, and has thinner air than most cities.Lee said South Korea may have had difficulty finding stronger opponents willing to play in high-altitude conditions shortly before the World Cup.“For us, adapting to altitude is necessary,” Lee said. “We need to keep playing matches under those conditions, but I think it was difficult to find a suitable opponent.”“There is little reason for other teams to play at 1,600 meters (or similar) above sea level and risk draining their players when most of their matches will be held in lower-altitude cities such as those in California,” he added.Former national team player Lee Chun-soo also said there could be value in playing relatively weaker opponents before the tournament.“You can either play stronger teams, gain experience and try to perform better at the World Cup, or play a relatively weaker team, work on scoring patterns and incorporate what players have been doing in training into the match,” Lee said.K League commentator Kang Seong-joo noted that South Korea’s early World Cup schedule may have limited the pool of available opponents.“South Korea scheduled its friendlies earlier because it was placed in Group A with Mexico, meaning its matches begin earlier,” Kang said. “That is also why there was not a wide range of teams to choose from.”Still, neither Hong nor the KFA has offered an official explanation for why South Korea chose Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador as its final warmup opponents.South Korea is scheduled to play El Salvador on Thursday before opening its World Cup campaign against the Czech Republic on June 12.