PRAGUE (AP) — Sparta Prague midfielder Hugo Sochůrek was included in the Czech Republic squad for the World Cup after he became the youngest player for the national team in a warmup game against Kosovo on Sunday.
The Czechs won 2-1 and 17-year-old Sochůrek came on as a substitute. Immediately after the game, coach Miroslav Koubek cut his initial selection of 29 to the final 26.
FC Cincinnati midfielder Pavel Bucha, Mladá Boleslav forward Christophe Kabongo and Viktoria Plzeň midfielder Tomáš Ladra didn’t make the final cut.
“Probably the worst moment of my coaching career,” said Koubek, the 74-year-old veteran.
In good news for the Czechs, attacking midfielder Adam Hložek of Hoffenheim, who has recently recovered from long-term calf and foot injuries, returned to the squad to play his first game for the national team since June and scored a goal.
The 23-year-old has played 42 international games, scoring five times.
The team was scheduled to leave for the United States later Sunday to play one more warmup against Guatemala in New Jersey on June 4.
The team mainstays included Lyon midfielder Pavel Šulc, Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick and West Ham midfield Tomáš Souček.
Koubek also included two Slavia Prague players — forward Tomáš Chorý and defender David Douděra — who were suspended for disciplinary reasons by the club for the rest of the season and transfer-listed.
During the World Cup, the Czechs will be based in Mansfield, Texas.
They will open the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada against South Korea on June 11 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Their other Group A opponents are South Africa (Atlanta, June 18) and Mexico (Mexico City, June 25).
The Czechs qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2006.
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Czech Republic:
Goalkeepers: Lukáš Horníček (Braga), Matěj Kovář (PSV Eindhoven), Jindřich Staněk (Slavia Prague).
Defenders: Vladimír Coufal (Hoffenheim), David Douděra (Slavia Prague), Tomáš Holeš (Slavia Prague), Robin Hranáč (Hoffenheim), Štěpán Chaloupek (Slavia Prague), David Jurásek (Slavia Prague), Ladislav Krejčí (Wolverhampton), Jaroslav Zelený (Sparta Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague).
Midfielders: Lukáš Červ (Viktoria Plzeň), Vladimír Darida (Hradec Králové), Lukáš Provod (Slavia Prague), Michal Sadílek (Slavia Prague), Hugo Sochůrek (Sparta Prague), Alexandr Sojka (Viktoria Plzeň), Tomáš Souček (West Ham), Pavel Šulc (Lyon), Denis Višinský (Viktoria Plzeň).
Forwards: Tomáš Chorý (Slavia Prague), Adam Hložek (Hoffenheim), Mojmír Chytil (Slavia Prague), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague), Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen).
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
